UNICON Ltd. Consultancy to Implement Livelihoods Support

Transcription

1 Se c t i o n I UNICON Ltd. Consultancy to Implement Livelihoods Support Table of Contents Annex A: Phase I - Annex B: Phase I - Project Implementation Plan (PIP) Annex C: Phase II - Project Implementation Plan (PIP)

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3 WORLD BANK DDR PILOT REINTEGRATION PROJECT IN SOUTH SUDAN CONSULTANCY TO IMPLEMENT THE LIVELIHOODS SUPPORT COMPONENT FINAL REPORT (PHASE II) PREPARED FOR: WORLD BANK & NDDRC August 2014 DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 1

4 Table of Contents! 1.! Introduction... 4! 1.1! Country profile... 4! 1.2! South Sudan DDR Program... 5! 1.3! Project Background... 5! 2.! Phase I Overview... 7! 2.1! Pre-training of ex-combatants... 7! 2.2! Training of Trainers... 7! 2.3! Mapel Intensive and Field Follow-up training... 8! 2.4! Livelihood Start-up Kits... 9! 3.! Phase II Objectives... 12! 4.! Project Preparation... 14! 4.1! Mid-Term Assessment of Programming & Resumption of Activities... 14! 4.2! TOT Preparation and Logistics... 15! 4.3! Training of Trainers: Entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy... 19! 4.4! Training of Trainers: Agriculture... 27! 5.! State-based follow-up trainings... 37! 5.1! Training overview... 39! 5.2! Team composition... 41! 5.3! State Specific Reporting: Northern Bahr el-ghazal... 43! 5.4! State Specific Reporting: Western Bahr el-ghazal... 51! 5.5! State Specific Reporting: Warrap... 59! 5.6! State Specific Reporting: Lakes... 67! 5.7! State Training Lessons Learned... 74! 6.! Technical Skills Extension... 77! 6.1! Agricultural Extension Visits... 77! 6.2! Vocational Expert Visits... 77! 6.3! Targeted Vocational Training... 78! 7.! Additional Assistance... 79! 7.1! Land Registration... 79! 7.2! Cooperative registration... 79! 7.3! Driving licenses and medical tests ! 7.4! Timber supply... 80! 2 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

5 8.! Recommendations and way forward... 81! 8.1! Project Preparation... 82! 8.2! Training of Trainers... 84! 8.3! State-level training... 85! 8.4! Logistics... 86! 8.5! Additional Recommendations... 87! Appendices... 89! Appendix 1: Phase 2 Workplan... 89! Appendix 2: Lessons Learned... 90! Appendix 3: TOT Feedback Forms... 97! Appendix 4: XC Personal Form... 99! DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 3

6 1. Introduction Through the livelihoods support component of the South Sudan DDR Pilot Reintegration Project all 290 ex-combatants participating had the opportunity to benefit from reintegration support. In addition, community members joining the ex-combatants in cooperative work were also eligible to receive training. The training sessions included (i) follow-up training in business skills/financial literacy/business motivation and (ii) training in agricultural business/agronomy practices. In sum, all ex-combatants at the Mapel Transitional Facility attended entrepreneurship, cooperatives and financial literacy trainings held for 10 days on site. This was followed by instate follow-up trainings where in Phase 1 a total of 537 people benefited including 253 excombatants and 284 community members and in Phase 2 a total of 399 people benefited directly including 270 ex-combatants and 129 community members. All excombatants were offered a livelihood start-up kit which was collected by 288 of the 290 participants. The following report details the process, achievements and lessons learned from this component. 1.1 Country profile Being the world s youngest nation, South Sudan currently faces a long list of development challenges typical for many countries of the developing world. These are occasionally redoubled by outbreaks of violence and political instability. However, the country possesses vast natural resources, which are mostly untouched until today. With about 70% of the population being younger than 30 years old, South Sudan has sufficient human potential to make the best use of those resources. In fact, human potential is the very resource that is in need of immediate attention, as it will be needed by the country when investing into the developing sectors of the rising economy. The underdevelopment of South Sudanese human potential becomes obvious when analyzing South Sudan s macroeconomic indicators: 98% of GDP originates from oil; Up to 30% of GDP is from international development aid ; 85% of the population engaged in non-wage work; Domination of imported goods on the local market. 4 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

7 It is of highest importance for South Sudan to continue developing its production industry and to move away from almost complete dependence on imported goods and oil revenues as these are two factors that severely damage the country s economic security. 1.2 South Sudan DDR Program Following decades of conflict and finally a peaceful referendum in 2011, South Sudan found itself in great need of demobilizing a major part of the army in an attempt to make the army smaller in numbers, while also significantly more professional. To achieve that goal, the government estimated that some 190,000 members of the national organized forces need to be demobilized and reintegrated into communities. The government of South Sudan treats every soldier as a liberator and a national hero, but realizes that a peaceful independent country, which South Sudan is gradually transforming into, cannot have an army this size. At the same time, the country needs to jump-start all the major industries and that is where the former soldiers have a great chance of succeeding. Demobilization and reintegration of the former soldiers (ex-combatants) has been made a priority task of the National DDR Commission of South Sudan. 1.3 Project Background UNICON Limited was contracted to conduct Livelihood Support activities (component three) of the South Sudan National Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (NDDRC) Pilot Reintegration Project. The Livelihood Support activities, for this Pilot project, are targeting a group of 290 ex-combatants in the Greater Bahr el Ghazal region (including the states of Lakes, Warrap, Western Bahr el-ghazal and Northern Bahr el-ghazal). The Pilot Reintegration Project livelihood component has been divided into 2 phases in order to facilitate gradual return of the ex-combatants into the community, and to allow for programmatic learnings in the process of ensuring their successful reintegration. Phase I was designed to provide the ex-combatants with the initial training as well as the start-up kit and includes the following sub-components: Mapel-based Entrepreneurship, Cooperatives & Financial Literacy intensive training; Livelihood start-up kits; State-based Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy & Association and Cooperatives initial follow-up trainings: o Through cooperatives/associations; o Through partnerships/individual training; o Monitoring and evaluation; o Reporting. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 5

8 Phase II builds on the achievements of Phase I to further train the ex-combatants in the chosen area of interest. In addition, supplementary training is being provided in cooperative business operation and financial management. Following are the sub-components of Phase II: Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy & Association and Cooperatives Training: o Training and mentoring of NDDRC outreach staff in entrepreneurship, financial literacy and association/cooperatives; o State-Based Follow-Up Training; Technical Skills Extension o Coordination of Agricultural Extension in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture extension workers; o Training of Ministry of Agriculture extension workers in best practices and appropriate farming techniques for the ex-combatants of Greater Bahr el- Ghazal choosing agriculture; o Facilitation of Targeted Vocational Trainings being provided to XCs via vocational training centers; o Implementation of an Expert visit program for interested XCs in vocational skills not covered through the targeted vocational trainings or agriculture; Assistance in accessing available government services Monitoring and evaluation; Reporting. The above sub-components will be performed in accordance with the Work Plan, proposed as part of the Project Implementation Plan, in close cooperation with TDRP, NDDRC HQ PMU, Ministry of Agriculture and NDDRC state offices. Work Plan is available as Appendix 1 to this report. While participation of the ex-combatants in the training is voluntary, it is anticipated that the major part of the pilot group of 290 ex-combatants will express interest in receiving additional business, vocational and/or agricultural training. UNICON team for Phase II of the Project consists of the following specialists: Rustam Davletkhanov: International Project Director Sergey Burnaev: International Project Manager Gautam Raj Jain: International Business Trainings Specialist Beth Oliver: International Agricultural Training Specialist Angelous Odego: National Agricultural Training Specialist Adire Simon Deng: National Lakes State Manager Deng James Manyok National NBeG State Manager Khor Gatwech Chan National WBeG State Manager Christine Asienzo National Warrap State Manager 6 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

9 2. Phase I Overview Implementation of Phase I of the Pilot Reintegration Project took place August-November 2013 and is widely considered to be successful as all the major goals have been achieved and numerous lessons learned have been noted for making further improvements of the program in the future. Among other things, the program has received positive publicity with the population of the country, which is a significant part of the reintegration process. Additionally, the other ex-combatants became aware of the existence of the Program and success with which it was implemented. Given the fact that the Project is a pilot, it was expected that all sides would benefit from learning during the implementation. NDDRC as an organization showed great potential for improvement and willingness to develop its potential through accumulating project-related experience and knowledge both in the headquarters in Juba and in the state offices. 2.1 Pre-training of ex-combatants Initial training of the 290 ex-combatants was performed in Mapel DDR Training Facility a specialized training camp built by UNMISS and the local government, which is located in the state of Western Bahr el-ghazal. The 290 ex-combatants were trained by UNESCO-hired and trained local specialists in one of the pre-set 8 vocational areas of their choice: agriculture, auto-mechanics, carpentry, plumbing, electrical services, masonry, welding or animal husbandry. Based on the type of vocational training received by the ex-combatant, a corresponding start-up kit was placed in the procurement plan to be delivered to the ex-combatant s state of return for collection by the ex-combatant 2.2 Training of Trainers UNICON hired and trained ten trainers to conduct entrepreneurship, financial literacy and cooperative/associations trainings in Mapel and then sent eight state trainers and four state managers to run the Phase 1 follow-up training sessions for the ex-combatants in their communities of returns. An international training expert developed the Training of Trainers (TOT) curriculum as well as the field training manual and training materials to be used by the trainers during the business/cooperative training for the ex-combatants. The training of trainers took place in Mapel training facility over 2 weeks in August 2013 during the time when the ex-combatants were receiving their initial vocational training. This allowed the trainers to get introduced to many of their future students and receive basic information on them, including literacy level, approximate location, possible grouping preferences, etc. and incorporate these ground realities into the training material. The field training method involves a comprehensive development approach, which covers aspects involving motivational and behavioral qualities in entrepreneurship and cooperatives as well as key steps critical to the start-up and management of an enterprise. The training ensures that the DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 7

10 participants take key decisions during training pertaining to the areas such as selecting a business idea, identify key resources required to be in business, locations of the business and other partners. The Mapel-based Entrepreneurship, Financial Literacy & Association and Cooperatives Training was then offered to all ex-combatants in the last 2 weeks of their time at the Mapel Transitional Facility as an intensive training to be supplemented by additional state based follow-up trainings over the course of the reintegration period. This design forms a natural continuity between the trainings received in the camp and that received in their communities. 2.3 Mapel Intensive and State-Based Follow-up Training Field training was performed by UNICON trainers and state managers in close cooperation with NDDRC state teams including ICRS caseworkers. In some cases, NDDRC state offices were used as training venues, provided by the Commission as a courtesy. The training manual included 15 modules that were used as needed based on the needs evaluation done by the training team. The modules are: Module 1: Introduction and Micro lab: Expectation and Commitment Module 2: Financial Literacy Module 3: Business and Market Module 4: Key activities of a Business, Cooperatives Financial aspects of Business Module 5: Selecting a Business and Cooperatives Format Module 6: Steps in Starting a Business Module 7: Business Skills Development in Cooperatives Module 8: Behavioral Skills in entrepreneurship and Cooperatives Module 9: Team Building and Management of Cooperatives Module 10: Business Plan for setting up Cooperatives Module 11: Enterprise Management: Sales and Marketing Module 12: Enterprise Management: Purchasing Module 13: Enterprise Management: Work Place Management Module 14: Enterprise Management: Book-keeping Module 15: Concluding and action Plan for setting up Cooperatives 8 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

11 The field training, in order to increase its effectiveness, used several well-known learning methods that proved to be successful in the region, such as (i) simulations and role-play, (ii) learning by doing, (iii) visuals and illustration, (iv) hands-on experience via interaction with existing businessmen, (v) individual counseling and (vi) practice sessions. In addition to the ex-combatants, the above training also targeted the interested community members, thus creating extra publicity and additionally developing the country s potential in the fields of small business and private entrepreneurship. During phase 1 a total of 284 community members received the business/cooperative training in addition to 253 ex-combatants. 2.4 Livelihood Start-up Kits Livelihood Start-Up Kits constituted a critical subcomponent of the Livelihoods Support work conducted in the Pilot Reintegration project. The procurement and delivery of startup kits was designed to enhance the efforts of ex-combatants to engage in productive and gainful employment; be it as a private venture, partnership or cooperative arrangements. There were six key steps in the task of start-up kit distribution: 1. Preparation o Agreement on design of start-up kits o Formation of start-up kits components list 2. Procurement o Search for potential suppliers o Design of Request for Quotation (RFQ) o Invitation of potential bidders and bids submission DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 9

12 o Evaluation of bids o Selection of suppliers 3. Logistics o Delivery of goods to Juba by suppliers o Warehousing in Juba o Confirmation and Bundling of Contents of Kits o Transportation from Juba to States o Storage in States 4. Distribution Support o Orientation Visits o Start-up kits Distribution Visits o Communications XCs and Media 5. Distribution of Start-Up Kits 6. Collection of Lessons Learned and Documentation The following summarizes the vocational tracks chosen for which start-up kits were procured. XC Livelihood Paths FIELD QUANTITY Agricultural 129 Auto mechanical/ Driving 69 Carpentry 24 Electrical 19 Masonry 6 Plumbing 9 Welding 11 Animal husbandry 23 TOTAL 290 The start-up kit composition for all the eight vocational tracks was agreed upon by UNICON, TDRP and NDDRC. In addition to that, advice was obtained from the Ministry of Labor s MTC (Multiservice Training Center) Juba headquarters to make sure that the tools included in the kits are the best fit for the local conditions and the UNESCO trainers were consulted to ensure the tools are in line with that used in the trainings conducted. NZOU Group a South Sudanese company procured the start-up kits from Kenya and Uganda to the distribution warehouse in Juba. The start-up kits were then divided into separate shipments for the 4 states and dispatched, using services of Trojan Enterprises a local transportation company. Despite uncertainty of the road conditions, NDDRC, TDRP and UNICON were able to coordinate effectively and ensure that most ex-combatants at each state were able to collect their start-up kits 10 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

13 immediately upon the arrival of the truck. The distribution process was monitored by representatives of NDDRC HQ, TDRP and UNICON in all states, making sure that the process goes smoothly and in accordance with the plan that was previously drafted based on collective vision. 199 ex-combatants received their kits during the 2 day distribution event in each state, with 239 out of 290 ex-combatants collecting their start-up kits by the end of phase 1. The remaining excombatants were informed that they could collect their start-up kits at any time in the NDDRC state office and by the close of Phase 2 the NDDRC reported that 288 of 290 ex-combatants have collected their start-up kits. This work was substantial and detailed and as such has been separated from this report into a standalone report: Livelihoods Start-Up Kits Summary & Reflection. Please refer to that report for the full detail on this topic. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 11

14 3. Phase II Objectives In summary, the Livelihoods Support sub-components of the full program were agreed to include: Entrepreneurship, cooperatives and financial literacy trainings (Phase I & II) Livelihood start-up kits (Phase I) Technical skills extension: (Phase II) o o o Agricultural extension visits Vocational expert visits Targeted supplementary vocational training Leveraging available government services through ICRS referral and follow up (Phase II) In Phase II of the NDDRC Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan every one of the pilot group of 290 ex-combatants were to have a chance to receive additional training both in business/cooperative operation and in the area of their Mapel vocational training. The interested ex-combatants were to receive a follow-up visit by the business/cooperative training teams that would consist of a state manager and ICRS caseworkers who would,, after a proper Training of Trainers by an international specialist, provide business/cooperative trainings. Given that the largest group (129 people) of ex-combatants chose agriculture as their main field of interest, the decision was made that they would have a chance to receive additional agricultural business training. For that purpose, an international agricultural expert and a local agricultural expert were contracted to conduct a Training of Trainers for the Ministry of Agriculture extension workers who would then perform the training sessions for the 129 ex-combatants. Through the end of the Project, the non-agricultural ex-combatants would, via NDDRC local offices, have an opportunity to receive additional training in their field either through targeted vocational trainings for those under served in Mapel or by means of a personal visit by a local practicing expert who has a business/operation in the area of the ex-combatant s reintegration. The Commission was to make efforts to locate government-financed institutes that would provide such training free of charge. As a result of the Phase II activities, the ex-combatants were to have gained additional confidence and a clearer vision of their future as valued community members. They would have acquired necessary skills in how to (i) choose a business/cooperative area to start, (ii) operate the chosen business or work with others to operate the cooperative and (iii) make sure not to lose their business or cooperative. In addition, this DDR program was designed to give the ex-combatants an opportunity for a faster reintegration as it encourages the community member participation both in the field trainings and in the business cooperatives registered by the ex-combatants. 12 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

15 A total of 399 people benefited directly from training as a part of the Phase II of the South Sudan Pilot DDR Project. This includes 270 ex-combatants and 129 community members. The training sessions included (i) follow-up training in business skills/financial literacy/business motivation and (ii) training in agricultural business/agronomy practices. The following section details the work required in each of the steps required in Phase II: 1) Project Preparation a. Mid-Term Assessment of Programming b. TOT preparation c. Training of Trainers: Entrepreneurship, cooperatives and financial literacy d. Training of Trainers: Agriculture 2) State-based training entrepreneurship, cooperatives and financial literacy 3) Technical Skills Extension a. State-based Agricultural Extension Visits b. Vocational Expert Visits c. Targeted Vocational Training 4) Additional support for XCs through line ministry programming DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 13

16 4. Project Preparation 4.1 Mid-Term Assessment of Programming & Resumption of Activities The initial design of the project included a mid-term review at the close of Phase I and allowed flexibility for programming adjustments responding to the learnings. At the close of Phase I this assessment was conducted and the NDDRC Pilot Reintegration Project Steering Committee & PMU provided leadership guidance on Phase II activities. Having analyzed the outcomes of Phase I of the Pilot Reintegration Project, the Consultant, together with NDDRC and TDRP, agreed that the Phase II activities would allow for: Opportunity given to all the 290 ex-combatants to receive additional (follow-up) training in entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy; Government employees used as state-level trainers for the purpose of further capacity building; Further involvement of other ministries in the ex-combatant reintegration process, particularly including the ministry of agriculture. Opportunity given to the ex-combatants that did not complete vocational training in Mapel to attend targeted vocational trainings. The start of the Phase II of the South Sudan Pilot Reintegration Project was originally planned for the middle of January 2014, but was postponed due to instability in the country at that time. The consultant s ability to launch Phase II was dependent on both the international institutions and international consultants being able to return to South Sudan and resume normal operations. Regular contact was maintained among all parties (NDDRC, TDRP and UNICON) in order to ensure that the Phase II launched at the first opportunity. It was determined in April 2014 that in early May 2014 the international institutions and consultants would be allowed to resume their work in South Sudan. The consultant completed a Phase II Project Implementation Plan which reflected the adjusted activities and schedule. Due to the uncertainty, extra efforts had to be made by the Consultant in order meet the updated deadlines. This included expedited hiring of international experts, rushed visa support procedures by NDDRC and, ultimately, launch of the Phase II as soon as 5 May 2014, when the first international expert arrived in the country and started the preparatory work. 14 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

17 4.2 TOT Preparation and Logistics Considering the above criteria as well as the fact that 129 out of 290 ex-combatants (44.5%) chose to continue their professional development in the field of agriculture, the following two types of training were planned for implementation within Phase II of the Project that would require Training of Trainers to be conducted before launching the state-level training: Follow-up entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy training; Agricultural training for the ex-combatants who chose the agricultural track in PhaseI. Similar to Phase I, a Training of Trainers (TOT) was the first step in Phase II. The TOT was designed not only to serve the purposes of the ongoing Project, but also to build the capacity within the National DDR Commission of South Sudan as well as the Ministry of Agriculture of South Sudan. Along with the knowledge transferred to the locally hired UNICON state managers, the TOT has become a capacity-building tool that will ultimately influence South Sudan in a number of ways outside of the Project s direct needs. The preparation for the TOT started well before the May mobilization, as the international experts needed to prepare the training plan, training materials as well as training curriculum to be used during the TOT. Despite the severe time constraint, all the preparation by the international experts was completed by the pre-agreed schedule, which allowed the TOTs to start on the dates that would ensure sufficient time for the state level training to be conducted in full Mobilization Mobilizing the resources as soon as possible was critical for all parties and the Project deadlines were shifted as little as possible in light of the crisis with the new deadline for the Pilot Reintegration Project Phase II implementation stage to be completed by July 31, All the international experts involved in Phase II activities were notified that their services were needed urgently, necessary travel arrangements were made and the first international expert (entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy trainer) arrived in the country as soon as 5 May Significant amount of work had to be completed before the international experts arrival to Juba. The international trainers were requested to provide their vision of their respective TOTs and submit draft versions of the curriculum in order for the Project Manager to use in his preparation of the Project timeline as well as finalization of the field arrangements. NDDRC was actively involved in the ex-combatant training needs collection as well as finalizing the lists of TOT participants for both the business & cooperative and agricultural Training of Trainers. Additionally, NDDRC provided the Consultant with a great amount of support in arranging (i) training venue, (ii) catering for the training participants and (iii) participants transportation both from their home towns to Juba and within Juba. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 15

18 The four state managers hired by UNICON for guiding the state-level activities provided support to the NDDRC, Project Manager and the entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy international trainer during the TOT preparation days by assisting in purchasing necessary materials, coordinating with guest speakers, advising on TOT structure improvement etc. Strong working relationships built during Phase I helped the NDDRC and the Consultant effectively cooperate both before and upon field mobilization of the international experts. The team was able to join forces and ensure the timely start of the Phase II of the Pilot Reintegration Project Venue and Catering For the training venue, the Consultant had to address several challenges faced during the TOT and ex-combatants training in Mapel Training Facility, which were described in the Phase I Final Report. A few highlights include: Mapel Transition Facility had several limitations in terms of classrooms, learning aids, and accommodation was not suitable for preparatory work at nights for each day s session. Further, trainers, on a few occasions, were deprived of water and food and living conditions were not hygienic. As a result, a few trainers fell sick during the TOT as well as during the training session to ex-combatants. Numerous challenges were faced by the Consultant during the Phase I TOT. Additionally, many unexpected events took place during training session as some contracts for goods and services (water and cooking) were about to be completed within a few day time. Finally, training classrooms had limited facilities in terms of teaching aids like LCD projectors, computers, white or black boards, and table and chairs Considering the above, the following conditions had to be met by the Phase II venue in order to host the TOT: o Accommodation of 20 participants max. in single self-contained rooms; o Air conditioned training room for 20 participants with desks, chairs, projector, flipchart holders and separate latrines for men and women; o Preparedness to cater the following for the training group on a daily basis, including Sundays: o 2 tea/coffee breaks with snacks; o 1 lunch buffet. 16 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

19 Thanks to the significant preliminary research done by the NDDRC, the Consultant, upon studying the price quotes received, hired the YES Juba Hotel, located in Juba s Tongpin area, for conducting the entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Training of Trainers. In addition to meeting all the prerequisites listed above, part of YES Juba Hotel s proposal was USD 0.00 charge for the rent of the training venue, equipment and airport transfer, given that participants accommodation was made through the hotel. With a few comments, which will be covered as part of the lessons learned, the training venue and catering was handled in professional manner and in accordance with all the agreements. The management and staff of the YES Juba Hotel was at all times ready to react to the changes and additions of the TOT programs, guest stay times and catering needs Transportation of participants Transportation is usually the second major concern of the people participating in training events in South Sudan. The expectation is that their transportation need will be either arranged for or reimbursed (latter preferred for money saving purpose). This is true even if one needs to travel within his or her hometown. With great help of NDDRC, the Consultant arranged for the participants transportation both locally and between the states. Interstate transportation The participants based outside of Juba took UN flights to join the training. The state DDR commissions assisted the participants is processing the flight requests with the UN s appropriate department. Unfortunately, due to the existing system of reservation and prioritization, several participants were not able to get on the airplanes even though all the necessary processing was done on time and in accordance with the rules. The Consultant was able to bring several participants using commercial flights, but some people who were supposed to attend the training had to stay in their states. Recommendations on addressing this matter are provided further in this report. In-Juba transportation In-Juba transportation was handled by different parties depending on the nature of the transportation needs: Airport pick-ups and drop-offs were handled by the YES Juba hotel at no additional charge; DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 17

20 State manager, being on direct contracts with the Consultant, were to arrange their own transportation; NDDRC allocated 2 vehicles to bring the HQ-based ICRS caseworkers to the training location and take them back home; Market visits during the TOTs were supported by NDDRC vehicles and the Consultant reimbursing the costs of hired transport Challenges and Lessons Learned While the preparation and organization of the TOTs was successful and despite having addressed some of the Phase I challenges outlined in the Phase I, the Consultant faced numerous challenges, which can be avoided in the future DDR activities. In addition, the lessons learned for the entire Phase II have been combined in a separate Appendix 2 to the report: Training of Trainers: Entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy This Appendix provides greater detail on the challenges, as well as possible solutions, but the following can be considered the major lessons learned for the TOT preparation stage: Insufficient preparation time. Given the time constraint, the international training experts only had 10 days (entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy) and 3 days (agriculture) to prepare the Training of Trainers, which included material modification, print/training material production, stationery purchase, instructing assistants etc.; Differences in accommodation. While out-of-juba participants all stayed at the same hotel, which provided the training facility, many people had to travel on a daily basis, which can be a challenge in South Sudan, especially during the rainy season; Venue location. While the hotel used for accommodation and training provided excellent service, it s location was difficult to reach on the days it rained; Accommodation type. Despite catered lunch, tea breaks and allowances, the participants expectation is to have breakfast included in their accommodation; The list of TOT materials should be discussed before going to the field in order to avoid confusion that results from purchasing them in a rush; Catering. The number of participants kept fluctuating. This interconnects with the need to better plan the number and nature of participants; Number of participants. Careful planning required for the out-of-juba participants as the venue charges for the no-shows pre0booked accommodation and catering; 18 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

21 UNMISS flights. Relying on UNMISS flights to bring the participants from their base states to Juba is questionable, as the seats are not guaranteed until the plane takes off. Alternative methods of transportation might need to be considered. International experts accommodation should be in the same hotel and preferable close to NDDRC and the training venue. 4.3 Training of Trainers: Entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Training of Trainers was the first of the two TOT programs arranged in Phase II of the DDR Pilot Reintegration Project. This sub-component was somewhat redesigned compared to that of the Phase I in order to provide direct capacity building to the National DDR Commission. The majority of the TOT participants were ICRS caseworkers (NDDRC staff), who during this pilot learned new skills to additionally serve as trainers during the state-level training sessions. For the purpose of experience transfer, the Consultant hired four state training managers from among the 12 UNICON hired staff and trainers who delivered state-level training in Phase I. Entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy training of the ex-combatants, along with the livelihood start-up kits, are the Project s major deliverable and in fact the one that is expected to have the strongest effect on both the DDR Program participants capacity in their reintegration into the community and the country s capacity in the gradual development as the world s youngest nation. The purpose of the Training of Trainers is to prepare local specialists capable of delivering knowledge to the ex-combatants both in this Pilot and in the further stages of the South Sudan DDR Program. As identified during Phase I, when it comes to starting their own small business, the ex-combatants major training needs, among others, are the following: Financial literacy; Market knowledge; Business type and format selection; Organizational matters of starting a business/bureaucracy; Sales and marketing; Business plan; Bookkeeping; Resource management. The structure of this TOT changed somewhat compared to Phase I, specifically in terms of participants, which is discussed in sections below. This however, did not change the core rationale of the training, which includes (i) supporting the ex-combatants in their reintegration by encouraging them to evolve as entrepreneurs/businesspeople and (ii) providing necessary training to assist them in achieving their goals. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 19

22 The entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Training of Trainers took place in Juba on May 2014 and was conducted by Dr. Gautam Raj Jain, an international expert with extensive experience in business training in the countries of sub-saharan Africa. Dr. Jain is also the trainer who conducted the TOT during the Phase I of this Pilot DDR Project. The 10-day Training of Trainers succeeded in delivering the proper knowledge and training attitude to the group of participants. The combination of various training methods, market visits and guest speakers, along with favorable training conditions, resulted in the TOT becoming a major success both in terms of knowledge transfer and participant satisfaction. The state-level training activities, described in detail further in this report proved that the approach of training the NDDRC staff to then become the trainers for the ex-combatants was a good one, because it contributed to (i) building additional trust between the ex-combatants and the National DDR Commission, (ii) developing the training capacity within the NDDRC, which can be used is the Commission-initiated and lead activities whenever necessary, and (iii) the training team members, being from different entities (NDDRC, UNICON and Ministry of Agriculture), stimulating each other to provide better services, ensuring his/her entity s best possible image within the Project. While seeing TOT results as a success, the Consultant did face challenges of different natures, which are described in the corresponding sections of this report and which can be properly addressed in the future DDR activities in South Sudan Participants In order to ensure that the knowledge delivered during the business/cooperatives TOT benefits the South Sudan DDR Program to the maximum possible extent, the participants of the TOT (and, therefore, the state trainers) were picked from among ICRS caseworkers who are NDDRC staff. Unlike separately recruited trainers who performed the state-level training in Phase I, ICRS caseworkers have an opportunity to keep the knowledge within NDDRC for future training of the ex-combatants. Additionally, the ICRS caseworkers job includes knowing the ex-combatants problems and achievements, as well as assisting them in their reintegration, which was a valuable addition to both the TOT and the trainings themselves. The National DDR Commission recommended that the ICRS caseworkers who would participate in the TOT and then conduct the state-level training be appointed not only from the four pilot states of the Greater Bahr el-ghazal area, but also from other NDDRC offices within the country. This would facilitate a wide spread of knowledge inside the Commission structure. As a result, the following ICRS caseworkers were delegated by the NDDRC to take part in the entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Training of Trainers: 20 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

23 No. Name Home base 1 John Chol Atem NDDRC Juba HQ 2 Abel Likambu Western Equatoria 3 Isaac Mabor Arok NDDRC Juba HQ 4 John Alier Atem Western Bahr el-ghazal 5 Imbegas Habib Jasper Eastern Equatoria 6 Angok Angok Deng NDDRC Juba HQ 7 John Lasu Bethwel NDDRC Juba HQ 8 Deng Dennis Thiik Warrap 9 John Chol Maker Lakes 10 Simon Achuil Athian NDDRC Juba HQ 11 Rev. Compeo Wani NDDRC Juba HQ 12 Chawuoch Nhial Alit Lakes 13 John Mabor Makuei NDDRC Juba HQ 14 Francis Makol Mou Northern Bahr el-ghazal 15 Alek John Nyang NDDRC Juba HQ 16 Garang Kuol Lual Northern Bahr el-ghazal The training of trainers was also joined by the four state managers who were hired by the Consultant from among the Phase I training team based on their performance. The list of the state managers was to be proposed by the Consultant and approved by the NDDRC and TDRP. As agreed by all sides, the following people were offered state manager positions for the Phase II of the South Sudan Pilot DDR Project: No. Name 1 Adire Simon Deng adiersdeng@yahoo.com 2 Christine Asienzo asienzo.christ76@gmail.com 3 Khor Gatwech Chan khorchanboth@gmail.com 4 Deng James Manyok dengjames09@gmail.com The state managers role during the TOT was not only to obtain additional knowledge, but also to share their Phase I experience with the group of ICRS caseworkers who were new to this Project. The combination of the state managers project specific experience and the ICRS caseworkers knowledge of the ex-combatants day-to-day needs, interests and challenges became an effective method of preparing the state-level training teams that would be formed at the end of the TOT. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 21

24 4.3.2 Training Process The Phase I follow-up indicated that the ex-combatants were at different levels of progress toward starting up a business. The TOT was expected to help not only in startup process, but also in improving the business performances with better management systems for those who had already started their enterprises. The following were the key training inputs for this Training of Trainers: Curriculum and training modules design. Learning inputs; Conceptual and technical learning in entrepreneurship, enterprise management, cooperatives and financial literacy; Demonstration of key experiential and participatory learning methods; Planning and managing state-level training and follow-up support services. Structure and methodology A 10-day training for 16 ICRS caseworkers and 4 State Managers was conducted on May in Juba. The trainers were provided with a detailed training manual covering the above inputs by the use of 13 training modules. The training manual covered the technical and conceptual inputs relevant to entrepreneurship, financial literacy and cooperatives with exercises applicable to learning among illiterate people. A number of posters were also presented during the TOT. In addition future trainers were also provided with the training manual for use for training excombatants and manual for organizing state level follow up and training. The table below presents the training modules and their distribution across the different thrust areas of the training. The training engaged participants from Monday to Saturday from 9.00 AM to 5.00 PM and on Sunday from 1.00 PM to 5.00 PM. A total of 60 sessions were conducted which also included fieldwork. The training began with the opening remarks by the Chairman of NDDRC. A graduation ceremony was conducted on May 26 for the participants to receive their certificates. Modules Curriculum Development Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship and Cooperatives Advance Business Management Training Management/ Documentation 1 2 Introduction and Micro lab: Expectation and Commitment Learning Process and Curriculum Design Illiterate and less educated people 3 (1-3) 6 (4-8) 3 Financial literacy/numeracy 6 (9-15) 4 Entrepreneurship and Business Development in Cooperatives 3 (16-18) 22 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

25 5 6 7 Steps in starting a business and Cooperatives. Business and Behavioral Skills Development in Cooperative Entrepreneurship Training in Business Plan and Financial Transactions in Business 5 (19-23) 10 (24-33) 7 (34-40) 8 Enterprise Management 8 (41-48) 9 10 Advance Management Skills and Systems Training and advisory in Legal Aspects: Registration and Taxation 6 (49-54) 2 (55-56) 11 Planning and Managing Field Level Operations 2 (57-58) 12 Documentation and Reporting 13 Action Plan & Concluding 1 (59) 1 (60) Total (60 hours) The final versions of the curriculum and the handbook are provided with this report Conclusion/Post training stage The Training achieved its original learning objectives outlined in the Curriculum Design. All the sessions and modules were conducted as per schedule of the training provided in the manual. The followings are the achievements of the training: 16 ICRS caseworkers and 4 state managers attended the training and expressed their confidence in conducting training modules as per needs of the ex-combatants who were at the different stages of development and offer requisite support for a positive progress toward the establishment and management of enterprises in their respective locations. Trainers were fully prepared with their plans to go to their respective locations for field level work; The Trainers felt empowered to influence the ex-combatants and instil in them a positive attitude toward their resettlement with their communities through setting up cooperatives based business DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 23

26 enterprises. They recognize the fact that the training is not just about teaching the basic skills but also to bring about the behavioral changes to the trainees and instil in them enthusiasm and selfconfidence toward their plans; The trainers are equipped with the skill in curriculum design starting from the training needs assessment, training goals and inputs, to selection of appropriate training methods. This provides the flexibility to adapt the training modules to the needs of ex-combatants; Trainers can articulate the concepts of entrepreneurship and cooperatives and apply the training process to reinforce trainees through engaging in the process of selecting business opportunities relevant to their vocational skills, help identify the required resources and in the preparation of a business plan. The trainers can also assist ex-combatants in taking key decisions about what business to start, select the name of the business, location and mobilize capital for investment through their partners or members of their cooperatives; The training also helped trainees conduct simulations and games for developing business skills for conducting all the key activities of a business, develop behavioral skills to work effectively in cooperatives, motivate their employees for better work results. The modules on enterprise management helped trainers assist and train the ex-combatants in managing purchases, sales and marketing, production and work place and keeping records of business transaction. They are also equipped with these process and tool useful for illiterate people in managing their enterprises; The trainers are now capable of training ex-combatants in reinforcing the usefulness of the cooperatives for their business and help them apply the process of setting up cooperatives and its management process. The trainers are now equipped to conduct a simulated cooperative business exercise for illustrating the process and challenges in creating and managing a cooperatives; The trainers have been equipped to assist the excombatants who have established their enterprises. Trainers can help develop capacity of ex-combatants in developing systems for day-to-day decision-making and improve their business performance. They would be able add additional values to them in book- keeping and employees management; Trainers have been informed of the challenges in the field with the ex-combatants and about the expected outcome of the two months state level follow up training. They have been assisted to prepare state level training and interventions plans with the perspective to execute it in a timely manner. They have been also equipped to documents various 24 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

27 aspects of the progress in the field and report periodically and systematically; As rightfully emphasized by The Chairperson William Deng Deng during the graduation ceremony, that the caseworkers now possess something that no one will ever be able to take away from them, which is knowledge Participant feedback Upon completion of the entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Training of Trainers, every participant filled out a satisfaction survey (Appendix 3). The analysis of the results is presented below: The organizational side has shown significant improvement in comparison with Phase I entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Training of Trainers as this time it was outsourced to professionals; The training facilitators are again found to be of good quality and high educational value; The level of participants understanding of the materials is very high by all standards, even though somewhat lower than that of Phase I. In general, the participants feedback was positive with a few comments that addressed minor challenges reflected in the section that covers lessons learned. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 25

28 A Items Training venue and Refreshments Average Rating out of 5 Rating in Percentage % 1 a) Training location b) Accommodation c) Training hall d) Food and refreshments B Training organization and coordination 1 a) Length of training period b) Timing of activities c) Coordination of programmes C Training Materials (Hand-outs) 1 a) Clarity of content b) Order and organization of contents c) Usefulness of materials and information resources D Training Facilitators 1 a) Knowledge in the subject matter b) Preparedness c) Method of facilitation E Level of Understanding and Confidence in Delivering Modules to Ex-combatants 1 Module 1: Introduction and Micro lab "#$% &'#$ 2 Module 2: Learning Process And Curriculum Design Illiterate and Less Educated People "#( &"#$ 3 Module 3: Training in Financial Literacy "#" &&#" Module 4: Training in Entrepreneurship and Business Development in Cooperatives Module 5: Training, Advisory and counselling for Steps in starting a business and Cooperatives Learning Goals: Module 6: Business and Behavioural Skills Development in Cooperative Entrepreneurship Module 7: Training in Business Plan and Financial Transaction in Business in different types of Businesses "#%% )'#$ "#'% &*#$ "#"% &)#$ "#"( &&#" 8 Module 8: Basic Enterprise Management "#* &%#$ 9 Module 9: Training and Services in Advance Management Skills and Systems "#( &"#( 10 Module 10: Training and advisory in Legal Aspects: Registration and Taxation "#' &(#$ 11 Module 11: Planning and Managing Field Level Operations mobilisation and capacity building "#( &"#$!! 12 Module 12: Documentation and Reporting "#"% &)#$ 13 Module 13: Action Plan & Concluding "#*% &+#$ Overall SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

29 4.3.5 Lessons Learned The trainers and trainees both faced a few critical constraints in this business & cooperative Training of Trainers. Given the assessment rating these constraints were managed well. However, some of the constraints could still affect the training outcome and a summary of them is presented below for the future DDR activities organizers: Training preparation had a very little time, which was less than 10 days after the Consultant arrived in Juba. It was almost impossible to prepare a well-designed and well-formatted training manual. There was hardly any time to revise the training modules and edit them before sending it for printing; Given the number of modules and learners experience, the training duration was insufficient. 10 days was hardly enough for building the capacity of trainers in delivering the 11 modules; The trainees consisted of a very heterogeneous group: Some were very slow learners; Some had stage fear and could not present the training assignment well in front of the class; A few were very poor at numbers and took a lot of time to understand what was being explained; The trainees were requested to attend the TOT as group and there was no selection process, no competition. Many of them treated the TOT as if it was their usual going to work routine. Some did not have the mind-set to prove themselves further for the newer challenges as compared with the first set of trainers in Phase I; State Manager selection was done without the TOT trainer s involvement. There were two state managers who did not have any prior training experience. The participation of these two state mangers during the training was also very limited. 4.4 Training of Trainers: Agriculture Agricultural training of the ex-combatants introduced in Phase II of the Project dictated the need of the corresponding Training of Trainers, with 44.5% of the ex-combatants choosing agriculture. This is most likely an accurate reflection of what the South Sudan DDR Program will be facing in the future when dealing with significantly larger numbers of ex-combatants and, in order to be able to face the challenge in the future, the country needs capacity built within the government to be able to support the inflow of demobilized citizens willing to become farmers. The agriculture development potential of South Sudan is enormous. According to the African Development Bank reports, the absolute majority of the households in South Sudan are primarily dependent of agriculture and livestock and 75% of the country s land area is suitable for agriculture. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 27

30 At the same time, only 4% of the arable land is cultivated and farming is predominantly of subsistence nature. This creates almost unlimited opportunities for anyone willing and able to develop himself within the field of agriculture. The constraining factors limiting the agriculture development are mainly (i) lack of knowledge and (ii) lack of resources. South Sudan s agricultural indicators are far below the regional standard, while the natural conditions are in many cases a lot better than those of their neighbors are. The agricultural sub-component was designed to be introduced in Phase II as a result of the aforementioned large percentage of overall ex-combatants that chose the agricultural livelihood path (44%) and a desired alignment of phase 2 with the growing season. Unlike entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy TOT, Agricultural TOT and state-level training did not have Phase I experience to build on, therefore it required additional attention in order to maximize both the (i) teaching (capacity building) and (ii) learning (lessons learned, further recommendations) aspects. Among the 290 ex-combatants who are participating in this Pilot DDR Project, 129 people chose to pursue their peaceful life business career in agriculture. Keeping in mind that (i) most excombatants have families, which will increase the program effect, (ii) natural resources are favorable and (iii) lack of knowledge in agricultural business is a known problem, TDRP made agricultural Training of Trainers a part of the Phase II of the Pilot DDR Project in South Sudan. Receiving additional targeted training in agriculture will significantly increase the ex-combatants capacity of supporting themselves and their families. After receiving the training in agricultural practices, the ex-combatants will be able to make better use of the start-up kits they received during Phase I as well as consider not only to develop themselves as subsistence farmers, but also look into commercial operations, which is a very important step both for each ex-combatant and the country as a whole. The 7-day Agricultural TOT was conducted immediately after the entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy TOT at the same training venue. The main participants of the Agricultural TOT were seven South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture extension workers, who were seconded to the project by the Ministry s state offices for training the ex-combatants whose vocational field of choice was agriculture. Agricultural Training of Trainers took place on 28 May 3 June 2014 and was conducted by Mrs. Beth Oliver, an international agricultural expert with previous experience both in South Sudan and in other countries of the region. She was assisted by Mr. Angelous Odego, a local agricultural trainer who was previously involved in providing the initial agricultural training (operated by UNESCO) to the ex-combatants in August 2013 in Mapel Transitional Facility. According to the collective opinion of the Consultant and NDDRC, the Agricultural TOT can be considered successful and the Ministry of Agriculture extension workers were well prepared to deliver the knowledge to the ex-combatants. As expected, numerous challenges and constraints were faced by the Consultant before and during the TOT, which resulted in certain modifications made to the original plan of the agricultural training activities. Both the challenges and the changes are reflected in the corresponding sections of this report. 28 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

31 4.4.1 Participants To maximize the capacity building and in keeping with the National DDR Policy to utilize line ministries in reintegration service delivery, NDDRC suggested that the agricultural trainers for the ex-combatants be provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. This idea was received very well by all parties and the Commission proceeded to contact the Ministry. It is the mission of the Ministry of Agriculture To transform agriculture from traditional subsistence system to achieve food security through scientific, market oriented, competitive and profitable agricultural system without compromising the sustainability of natural resources for future generations, which aligns perfectly with the goals of the Pilot DDR Project Phase II agricultural TOT and state-level training. The ministry committed to allocate 11 extension workers to participate in the agricultural Training of Trainers and then provide the training to the 129 ex-combatants. This was to include 3 trainers from each Warrap, WBeG and Lakes and 2 trainers from NBeG. Unfortunately, not all the extension workers were able to get on the UNMISS flights from their base towns to Juba. The agricultural Training of Trainers ended up including seven extension workers: No. Name Home base 1 Charles Stephen Ajok NBeG 2 Peter Akol Wol NBeG 3 Chivillo Chier Paduol Warrap 4 Joseph Martin Khamis WBeG 5 Charles Henry Dahia Albino WBeG 6 Patris Charles WBeG 7 Daniel Kong Halbeng Lakes As the agricultural extension workers would be working together with the state managers and the ICRS caseworkers at the state level, the trainees from the entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy Training of Trainers were invited to join the Day 1 of the agricultural TOT Training Process Among the day-to-day responsibilities of the Ministry of Agriculture extension workers are to (i) train the population in the field of agriculture, (ii) promote the development and adaptation of appropriate agricultural technology and (iii) promote the efficient production and marketing of the agricultural products. Therefore the goals of the extension workers coincide perfectly with the goals of the South Sudan DDR program. Having reviewed the background of the extension workers both using the profile forms filled out by them and by personal communication, the Consultant determined that the extension workers have substantial experience in training people of various level of agricultural knowledge, including DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 29

32 experience training farmers from scratch, which is vital for this project. This allowed the Consultant, within the agricultural Training of Trainers, to allocate most of the time to build the capacity of the extension workers in the field of agriculture rather than teach the participants how to teach the excombatants. Structure and Methodology The initial plan was to train 11 Ministry of Agriculture extension workers and 16 ICRS caseworkers for 10 days. Due to time and budget constraints, the training was downsized to 7 days, 11 Ministry of Agriculture extension workers with ICRS caseworkers attending the first 1-2 days. The TOT started on 28 May instead of 27 May because most of the participants could not make it to Juba on time due to UNMISS flight unpredictability. Out of 11 participants originally planned, 6 people were able to start the training on 28 May and 1 more person on 30 May, which means that the training program had to be revised several times. The TOT included daily break for lunch and two tea breaks, provided by the training facility. This ensured that all the participants stayed within the hotel boundaries and minimized the possibility of participants not returning from the breaks. The agricultural Training of Trainers used participatory training method, which is widely used in the counties of the region for many years and in various programs, including other DDR programs. Participatory learning is a creative, problem solving method in which every participant participates actively. The learning process is just as important as the subject being learned is. The participatory method (i) addresses the needs and problems of the participants, (ii) uses participants knowledge, experience and skills, (iii) considers every participant a trainer and trainee, (iv) uses practical real life activities so that participants can learn by doing, and (v) takes place in a location that is amenable to the participants. 30 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

33 The following was identified as the agricultural TOT main goals: To design and develop training curricula based on the needs of ex-combatants and community members usage of more picture examples to illustrate most everything, plus forming small groups that teach its members farming literacy and numeracy by using the Hands On material given to all trainees; To produce a handbook that is a guide for trainers who are supporting small scale agricultural development for ex-combatants and community members; To conduct training sessions that will address the needs and problems of the participants; Use participants knowledge, experience and skills; Consider every participant trainee and trainer; Use practical real life activities so participants can learn by doing; Stimulate creative ideas; Encourage everyone to contribute; Keep current with new ideas and developments, which can be delivered in the field. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 31

34 The modules covered during the agricultural TOT are as follows: Module Introduction Numeracy and Literacy Why establish a seed business? Business Planning Agricultural Topics Agricultural Cooperatives Description Mutual introductions; Background information collection; Participants expectations; Discussion of the upcoming program. Hands On material distributed to the group; Work in small groups, demonstrations, experience sharing; Country s language variety; Assessment of the participants literacy/numeracy level. Is the business needed in the area? Can I produce good quality seed? Am I the right person to run a seed business successfully? What do I need to invest to make the seed business successful? Should I start a seed business? Preparing a Business Plan; Preparing a Sales and Costs Plan; Preparing a cash flow plan; Calculating net worth. Land Preparation The steps needed to prepare land for planting; Planting (seeds, seedlings); Agronomic Practices Activities farmers do in the field to get good crop yield; Basic Farm Tools Identifying the basic tools needed for the beginning farmer, regardless of crop; New crops to consider cereals, oilseeds, sugar, fruits and vegetables, flowers, coffee and tea; Implementing the use of demonstration farms to illustrate successful farming practice. Identifying successful farmers, the crops they choose and methods they use to act as role models for new excombatant farmers. What is a cooperative? The Marketing Services of the Cooperatives. How They Work? The Supply Services of the Cooperative. How They Work? Product Collection of the Cooperative. 32 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

35 Modifications Both the curriculum and the handbook needed to be modified to address the following findings of the TOT: The participants literacy and numeracy level turned out to be below the Consultant s expectation and the training process had to become more visual; Some of the entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy practices training will need to be replaced by teaching the general agronomy practices; Both literacy/numeracy and agronomy lessons need to be held at the beginning of the Training of Trainers as they are important for understanding the business development side of the agricultural business Conclusions/Post-training stage With some slight adjustments, the agricultural Training of Trainers program has a very promising future. Considering South Sudan s abundant agricultural resources, the development path of this economy is not only in oil & gas, but also in the agricultural business. The extension workers level of knowledge has room for improvement, but, using the knowledge they possess and the knowledge newly acquired during the Training of Trainers, the extension workers were able to deliver quality training to the ex-combatants, whose knowledge in agricultural practices is limited to the genetic knowledge within the family as they have spent a lot of time away from home in difficult conditions and without an opportunity to exercise the agricultural knowledge they might have. The materials provided to the Ministry of Agriculture extension workers cover a wide range of topics. While the initial plan was to concentrate of the agriculture as a business, based on the observations made during the Training of Trainers, the Consultant decided to provide the extension workers with the following materials that can be used not only in training the ex-combatants, but also in the extension workers regular job, as they face similar challenges there: An extract from Hands On English literacy and numeracy handbook; Agronomy Basics training manual; Manual on agricultural business as a cooperative; Manual on agricultural (seed) business for an individual farmer. The Consultant spent additional time after the end of the Training of Trainers to make modifications to the materials in order to make them better fit to the current situation in South Sudan s agricultural sector. The final versions of the curriculum and the handbook are provided with this report. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 33

36 4.4.4 Participant Feedback The table below provides the analysis of the feedback forms filled out by the 7 participants of the agricultural Training of Trainers. While the sample size does not allow the Consultant to make definitive conclusions, some information can be gathered from the results: Training length was considered insufficient by the participants. This outcome could be foreseen as the training duration had to be reduced from 10 days to 7 days. In addition, the training had several disruptions from the core training part, such as (i) multiple introductions, and (ii) postponing modules while waiting for the remaining participants; Understanding of the exact work plan was not completely reached. This is in part because the extension workers were briefed on their work plan, while the full instructions were to be given by the state managers upon arrival to their assigned state; Understanding of the core material was adequate, but can be significantly improved with more preparation time and using the information gathered by the Consultant during the Training of Trainers. 34 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

37 A Items Training venue and Refreshments Average Rating out of 5 Rating in Percentage % 1 a) Training location b) Accommodation c) Training hall d) Food and refreshments B Training organization and coordination 1 a) Length of training period b) Timing of activities c) Coordination of programmes C Training Materials (Hand-outs) 1 a) Clarity of content b) Order and organization of contents c) Usefulness of materials and information resources D Training Facilitators 1 a) Knowledge in the subject matter b) Preparedness c) Method of facilitation E Level of Understanding and Confidence in Delivering Modules to Ex-combatants 1 Module 1: Introduction and Micro lab Module 2: Learning Process And Curriculum Design Illiterate and Less Educated People Module 3: Training in Financial Literacy Module 4: Training in Entrepreneurship and Business Development in Cooperatives Module 5: Training, Advisory and counselling for Steps in starting a business and Cooperatives Learning Goals: Module 6: Business and Behavioural Skills Development in Cooperative Entrepreneurship Module 7: Training in Business Plan and Financial Transaction in Business in different types of Businesses Module 8: Basic Enterprise Management Module 9: Training and Services in Advance Management Skills and Systems Module 10: Training and advisory in Legal Aspects: Registration and Taxation Module 11: Planning and Managing Field Level Operations mobilisation and capacity building Overall *#+' +"#* DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 35

38 4.4.6 Lessons Learned As partially covered above, the agricultural Training of Trainers faced several challenges: 4 Participants did not arrive because they did not make it on the UNMISS flights. The prioritization system of the UNMISS flight make it possible for a person not to get on a flight even though all the paperwork has been submitted properly and on time; Juba Arabic and Dinka are not the only languages spoken in some regions. This was not a challenge in terms of TOT success, but needs to be taken into account when the DDR program is extended to other parts of the country; The extension workers literacy and numeracy level is fairly low. This is especially true for numeracy, as adding and multiplication become a real challenge when it comes to agricultural terms like area, resources, etc.; The agronomy knowledge among the participant group is inconsistent. While some people showed adequate knowledge of agronomy, others needed explanations for issues that are considered very basic in agriculture; Inadequate training length was a challenge. Additionally needs assessment time should be incorporated in future iterations of this work. A 10-day TOT following about a week of preparation time would be sufficient for this type of training. Unfortunately, it was difficult to reach all the goals within the time allocated for this TOT; No follow-up opportunity for the international trainer. It would be beneficial for all the interested parties (NDDRC, Ministry of Agriculture, TDRP and UNICON) to involve the international trainer in the oversight of a sample of the actual field training sessions. 36 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

39 5. State-based follow-up trainings The entire Phase II training program, had the goals of (i) following-up with the ex-combatants on the training they received in Phase I as well as on their current reintegration status, (ii) delivering additional knowledge to the ex-combatants who feel that they have such need, (iii) making sure that the start-up kits are used in the right manner, and (iv) collecting any information that may be useful in designing the potential large-scale South Sudan DDR Program that will cover a much larger group of ex-combatants. While some of the training components were newly introduced in the Phase II of the Pilot DDR Project, the component of financial literacy/entrepreneurship training is still the core part of the DDR program. It is designed to not only train the ex-combatants in financial literacy and entrepreneurship, but also to motivate them to reintegrate into the community by participating in social life and cooperating with their fellow community members in building the business capable of supporting their families. The business/cooperative training was delivered to 270 ex-combatants in the four states, which represents 93% of the 290 ex-combatants participating in this Pilot DDR Project in South Sudan. The breakdown of the above number by the state is as follows: State Total No. of XCs No. of XCs trained % NBEG % WBEG % Warrap % Lakes % TOTAL 290* % *NOTE: 5 of the ex-combatants passed away over the course of the pilot, thus of the end-of-project caseload of 285 ex-combatants, 269 were trained (94%). For the ex-combatants who chose agriculture as their field of reintegration, the training team was joined by a Ministry of Agriculture extension worker. All the extension workers have previous experience in training agriculture, supplemented by additional training provided to them as a part of this Phase II of South Sudan Pilot DDR Program. Agricultural training was designed to be provided to the ex-combatants who chose agriculture as their reintegration field. In addition, the agricultural training sessions were open to be attended by the ex-combatants from other reintegration fields as well as community members. 1 One ex-combatant passed away after training DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 37

40 State No. of XCs in agriculture Of them reached % NBEG % WBEG % Warrap % Lakes % TOTAL % In addition to the ex-combatants, community members had the opportunity to participate in the training activities and hence to also benefit from this Project. The number of community members has somewhat decreased compared to Phase I due to reasons like (i) rainy/seeding season, (ii) unwillingness to receive training with no cash or tools provided for participation, (iii) transportation challenges etc. State CMs trained NBEG 59 WBEG 11 Warrap 52 Lakes 7 TOTAL 129 Having reached and trained a high percentage of the ex-combatants, the training team was proud to note the fact that none of the ex-combatants who participated in the training activities, chose to rejoin the military during the recent unrest, because they have realized the advantages of the peaceful life, of various income opportunities, and of the ability to be with their families at all times. Throughout both Training of Trainers sessions, the Consultant worked closely with NDDRC to establish the guidelines for the Phase II state-level training of the ex-combatants. While the training teams were given the ability to adjust their workplan, they were provided with guidelines of statelevel training implementation. It was, however, emphasized that the ultimate goal is to deliver quality training to the maximum number of ex-combatants regardless of the field conditions as all the training teams were composed of the people who showed ability to make decisions while working under pressure. 38 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

41 All the training sessions were delivered by the training teams in accordance with the training guidelines, curriculums and materials they received during the Training of Trainers conducted in Juba in May-June In all cases, a training needs assessment was conducted, which facilitated the training team s decision of which training modules would become most useful for the particular ex-combatant. While it was difficult to plan the exact logistics of the state-level training activities (transportation, exact dates, trainers accommodation, refreshments for the ex-combatants etc.), the work plan was outlined during the Training of Trainers in Juba. This work plan was then adjusted to the field conditions by the state managers in close cooperation with ICRS caseworkers, which led to the training teams moving effectively within their state and reaching out to the ex-combatants in each of the counties, which, consequently, lead to the high training coverage of 93%. In addition to the effective movement scheme, the four state-level training teams were in regular communication among themselves, because some of the ex-combatants have moved from one state to another since Phase I. Whenever a migrated ex-combatants was located and contacted, the state manager of his/her original state would transfer his/her contact information to the state manager of the ex-combatant s current state so that the training team of that state could contact and train the ex-combatant. The challenges of the state-level training are covered in the corresponding sections of this report. Although numerous, they can mostly be addressed easily when designing the potential large-scale DDR Program. 5.1 Training overview A total of 399 people benefited directly from training as a part of the Phase II of the South Sudan Pilot DDR Project. This includes 270 ex-combatants and 129 community members. The training sessions included (i) follow-up training in business skills/financial literacy/business motivation and (ii) training in agricultural business/agronomy practices. Additionally, a large number of community members may have benefited indirectly as they may have received the knowledge once the trained person (ex-combatant or community member) returns to the community and applies the knowledge obtained. The number of indirect beneficiaries is emphasized, because many of them would have liked to attend the training, but were too busy planting the seed at the beginning of the rainy season to make sure they receive harvest by the time it is over. The ex-combatants, in these case, attended the training not only as the pilot group members, but also as representatives of their community/family agricultural groups. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 39

42 The training was mainly targeted at the ex-combatants as the primary beneficiaries of the Project, while the interested community members were free to join the trainings to receive the knowledge as deemed valuable. The number of community members who participated in the trainings has decreased in comparison with their turn-out in Phase I. The main reasons for that are believed to be the following: The state-level training was offered right after the start of the rainy season, when basically the whole population of South Sudan is busy planting seeds in their farms and backyards to make sure they have at least 1 successful harvest this year. In many cases the excombatant would attend the training while his partners from the community were planting the seeds; The cooperative business formation, although proven effective and highly encouraged by the government, is complicated to introduce formally, with all the paperwork done and the finances flowing officially. This led some of the cooperatives formed in Phase I to disintegrate by the time Phase II activities commenced; Rainy season also meant that the quality of the roads is significantly sub-standard and it was very difficult for a person who lives outside of town to travel even a few kilometers to the training location. Cars are either expensive or not available, and motorcycles in many cases cannot make it through the expansive flooded areas that surround the cities during the rainy season. In comparison with Phase I, locating and gathering the ex-combatants became a lot easier. This is largely due to the fact that the training teams included the Phase I trainers and state-based ICRS caseworkers, all of which have personal contacts with the ex-combatant supplemented by experience in previous DDR activities in South Sudan. Additional awareness was created by the training teams speaking directly with local authorities and announcing the upcoming trainings on the local radio stations, which proved to be an effective way of spreading the information. The training format included inviting the ex-combatants for a 2-day training, which addresses their most important training needs and established the level of progress they have made since Phase I of the Pilot DDR Project. This was then supplemented by the training teams collecting valuable information on each excombatant s current location, achievements, complaints, and status of the start-up kit that was given to him or her about 6 months before. This information was collected by having the State Manager fill out an XC personal form for each trained ex-combatant. The form is provided with this report as Appendix 4, while the results are presented in tabular form as a separate document accompanying this. As the training progressed, the training teams identified several components of the training that are generally most needed by the ex-combatants in their reintegration to the society: Mindset. It became very important for the training teams to make sure that the ex-combatants realized the new, updated reality that they are facing. Now they have to produce something (goods, 40 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

43 services, any other added value) in order to make a living. This implies that a decision has to be made on how exactly each one of them is going to get income when they are taken off the army payroll, where they could count on a fixed guaranteed salary every month by just following orders. Also, previously they did not need to think about purchasing food or clothes as those were provided for them. Leaving this army way of life is a significant stress for the ex-combatants and it was the job of the training teams to explain to the ex-combatants that their new way of life brings them opportunities, including financial, which go far beyond the ones they used to have while in army; Financial literacy and cash flow. As briefly explained above, the ex-combatants do not generally have a habit of planning their expenses, because, being on army payroll, they are used to receiving a salary and not worrying about food or clothes. In fact, it became obvious to the training teams that a very thorough explanation is needed to the ex-combatants of the difference between cost, revenue and profit. The goal of the reintegration process is to encourage the ex-combatants to engage in a livelihoods, be it in small business, agricultural production, the service industry, etc., and in this they will need to deal with financial flows on a daily basis. However, the ex-combatants need to realize that not all the money they receive can be used to cover their immediate needs, be it basic or luxury needs. Delivering the concepts of price structure, working capital and reinvestment to the ex-combatants became a major part of the training activities. 5.2 Team composition The training teams consisted of UNICON-hired state managers, ICRS caseworkers and Ministry of Agriculture extension workers. These teams reached out to the ex-combatants in their locations of return in the states of Northern Bahr el-ghazal, Western Bahr el-ghazal, Lakes and Warrap. This allowed for training to be performed by a combination of (i) the state managers hired from among the Phase I training team and (ii) the ICRS caseworkers, who are NDDRC staff. Both state managers and ICRS caseworkers know the ex-combatants personally, which allowed them to realize their personal conditions/challenges and relate to those. The most important factor behind such training team composition is that all the training team members are within the ex-combatants comfort zone and are able to work with the ex-combatants as well as collect accurate information on their progress that can be used by NDDRC for planning the future DDR activities in South Sudan. Despite various, mostly logistical and motivational, challenges faced during the state-level trainings, the training teams were able to deliver high-quality trainings to the Project beneficiaries (the ex-combatants). The team composition strategy proved to be a successful one, as it helped overcome potential language and other barriers between the training teams and the trainees (the ex-combatants). The business/cooperative training was conducted by the ICRS caseworkers and UNICON state managers in accordance with the training manual received during the Training of Trainers, while the agricultural training was provided by the Ministry of Agriculture extension workers using their experience and guidance received during the agricultural Training of Trainers in May Teams in States of Warrap, Lakes and WBeG The ex-combatant distribution in these three states is presented in the table below: DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 41

44 Type of start-up kit Warrap Lakes WBeG Agriculture Non-agriculture Based on the above numbers and collective vision, the following guidelines have been adopted: 1 ICRS caseworker (trainer) in each state s team was teamed up with the agricultural extension worker(s) and this team was responsible for delivering both the business and agricultural training to those ex-combatants who received agricultural start-up kits in Phase I; The state manager and 2 ICRS caseworkers (trainers) teamed up to train the nonagricultural ex-combatants in entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy; The state manager assists the agricultural team on as-needed basis. Specifically so in the state of Warrap; 1 ICRS caseworker (trainer) in each state s team allocated for dealing with the excombatants non-agricultural vocational extension training. Based on the above, the team compositions for the three states were accepted as follows: XC type Warrap Lakes WBeG 2 Agriculture John Lasu Bethwel Chivillo Chier Paduol John Chol Maker Daniel Kong Halbeng Abel Likambu Joseph Martin Khamis Henry Dahia Albino Patris Charles Non-agriculture Christine Asienzo Imbegas Jasper Angok Deng Adire Simon Deng Simon Achuil Athian Rev. Compeo Khor Gatwech Chan John Chol Atem Isaac Mabor Arok Vocational extension training Deng Dennis Thiik Chawuoch Nhial Alit John Alier Atem 2 The 3 Ministry of Agriculture extension workers were be alternating so that only 1 of them is used for training at a time. 42 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

45 5.2.2 Team in State of NBeG The total number of ex-combatants in Northern Bahr el-ghazal is 30, of which 5 ex-combatants chose agriculture and 25 auto mechanics/driving. The group of ex-combatants who chose auto mechanics/driving as their reintegration activity attended specialized courses in Aweil, at which time they were also offered the business follow-up training. The following approach was adopted for the state of Northern Bahr el-ghazal: 1 ICRS caseworker (trainer) was allocated for dealing with the ex-combatants nonagricultural vocational extension training; 1 ICRS caseworker (trainer) was teamed up with the agricultural extension worker(s) and this team was made responsible for delivering both the business and agricultural training to those ex-combatants who received agricultural start-up kits in Phase I; The state manager and 1 ICRS caseworker (trainer) teamed up to train the non-agricultural ex-combatants in entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy; As soon as the agriculture team finished training the 5 ex-combatants, the 1 ICRS caseworkers joined the second team in their training sessions in Aweil. The NBeG team, therefore, looked as follows: XC type NBeG team 3 Agriculture Non-agriculture Francis Makol Mou Charles Stephen Ajok Peter Akol Wol Deng James Manyok John Mabor Makuei Vocational training Garang Kuol Lual 5.3 State Specific Reporting: Northern Bahr el-ghazal The state of Northern Bahr el-ghazal is located in South Sudan s northwestern part and farthest away from Juba, the capital of the country. It is one South Sudan s least populated states and hence the number of the ex-combatants originating from Northern Bahr el-ghazal is lower compared to that of the other states that participate in this Pilot DDR Project. A total of 30 excombatants were eligible for the follow-up activities designed within this Phase II. 3 The 2 Ministry of Agriculture extension workers were to be alternating so that only 1 of them is used for training at a time. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 43

46 Additionally, Northern Bahr-el Ghazal ex-combatant pilot group does not reflect the general tendency of agriculture being the most popular field of reintegration. Instead, the majority of the excombatants, while receiving training in Mapel in August 2013, made a choice to receive vocational training and a start-up kit as auto-mechanics/drivers. The ex-combatant breakdown by the reintegration field in the state of Northern Bahr el-ghazal is presented below 4 : Reintegration field No. of ex-combatants Agricultural 5 Auto mechanical 21 Carpentry 1 Electrical 0 Masonry 0 Plumbing 1 Welding 2 Animal husbandry 0 TOTAL 30 All the thirty ex-combatants were reached by the training team and receive the training in business/cooperatives and agriculture. In parallel to the training team s efforts, the National DDR Commission arranged for the ex-combatants who had chosen auto-mechanics reintegration field, to attend driving and auto-mechanics courses in Aweil, which made it easier for the training team to located them as they all arrived from their respective payams to the state capital. Although all 30 participating ex-combatants trained, unfortunately, one of them passed away two weeks after meeting the training team Mr. Garang Gel Akok (DDR ID ) of the state s Yargot payam Week of 9-14 June 2014 Training was conducted in Aweil for the 25 ex-combatants who has chosen auto-mechanics as their field of reintegration. The ex-combatants arrived to Aweil to attend driving/auto-mechanics school and they received 2 days of training in financial literacy and entrepreneurship before the lessons started in the school. The training was performed in the city of Aweil as all the 4 According to the latest available data September 2013 database 44 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

47 25 ex-combatants had arrived for the driving school arranged for by the NDDRC, which is why they were the only ones in attendance. The ex-combatants of the other reintegration fields are to be visited by the training teams in their payams. While 2 cooperatives were formed, many of the ex-combatants are pursuing private entrepreneurship as a goal. Some of the ex-combatants, given a long time between receipt of the auto-mechanics start-up kit and the start of the driving school, have invested their time into agriculture. However, their main field of interest was financial literacy and entrepreneurship. Agricultural practices seemed secondary. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: Dot Baai Malual Baai Farming cooperative was formed in Aweil East County. The total starting contribution was SSP 6,800 from both the ex-combatants and community members. They managed to make a profit of SSP 10,200 within the first 6 months of operation; The ex-combatants have stopped relying on the government salary and are concentrating on their own progress; The dividends that they will distribute at the end of the year has become a major motivator. They are all trying to maximize their effort in order to receive more at the end; The ex-combatants and the community members engaged in agricultural activities do not have to think about feeding their families. Instead, because they can get food very cheap as members of the cooperative, they are focusing on the business side of agriculture and making profits; According to the state manager s opinion, there is high level of trust among the excombatants and community members who joined the cooperatives. This originates in the transparent structure of the profit distribution, where everyone knows exactly how much is being spend on the cooperative needs and how much profit is every member is entitled to; General price reduction for the crops as they do not need to be delivered from other locations; The participants of the 2 cooperatives (Dot Baai in Malual Baai & Akuem kou farming in Wanyjok Center) show a very high level of reintegration. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Until the recent start of driving school lessons, lack of adequate training was the main challenge for the ex-combatants who chose auto-mechanics as their field of reintegration. Some of them had to temporarily shift to find themselves in agriculture; Even though the situation was clearly explained in Phase I, some of the ex-combatants still state that they need a generator with their welding start-up kit; The ploughs that were part of the agricultural start-up kit did not come with a chain, which made it very difficult to connect them to an ox; DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 45

48 The amount of seeds provided with the start-up kit was not enough to run a farm, so they were asking for more seeds; The timing for the trainings needs to be improved, because (again, like Mapel training) the training had to take the ex-combatants away from their cultivation work; 2 months of driving school does not sound sufficient to the ex-combatants and they are asking that the school is extended to 3 months (4 months for engineering / automechanics); Most of the ex-combatants need land for their business as they can t afford to rent. They are asking that some land is provided to them by the government. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The best use of the start-up kits (agricultural) is seen in places where the ex-combatants have formed cooperatives; A few ex-combatants sold their start-up kits (auto-mechanics). This goes especially for the hydraulic jacks and spanners; Many of the auto-mechanics ex-combatants did not use the start-up kits until today, because they had not received the necessary training, but they are still in possession of their start-up kits. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) NBGS, Aweil town, Maper Akot, maper. Dates 9-14 June 2014 Financial literacy & entrepreneurship TRAINING TYPES (business skills) # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 25 XCs attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of June 2014 Training was conducted for 2 ex-combatants in Panthou payam, Malek Alel County east of Aweil center. They have formed a fishing cooperative together with some community members, but it proved to be not the best choice of activity for their region and they are now concentrated on subsistence farming. While facing many challenges, the ex-combatants consider themselves to be fully reintegrated into the community and not willing to go back to the army. They are able to learn something new every 46 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

49 day and the newly acquired skills help them develop as personalities and improve their living conditions. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: Although formally members of cooperatives, the two excombatants are committed to their domestic farming activities. They are improving their personal skills in agricultural activities at household level; The ex-combatants show their reintegration progress by joining community life where people work every day in order to make their living. They realized that they have to care about themselves and their families now as opposed to following commands; They believe that their first step has to be reaching the level of farming to support their household and then proceed to develop as a business. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants need water pumps for irrigation in order to have effective farming system throughout a year; They need variety of different seeds so that they have variety outputs of crops for their own consumption & consequent business purposes; The ex-combatants need insecticides for spraying their crops in order to reach adequate harvest size and quantity; For their future as business farmers, they would like to receive additional training in agriculture, especially in the areas of seedbed preparation, management and fertilizer use; They are in need of a wire fence around their farming land in order to protect it from both wild and domestic animals and cattle; There is need for ox and chain to complete the ox-plough package as it is now difficult to use it. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 47

50 Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: Mostly, the agricultural start-up kits are in possession and being used in the right way by the ex-combatants.; Ox-ploughs are difficult to use because the ox and the chains were not provided. In addition, skills are required to assemble, operate and maintain the plough. Some were obtained in Mapel, but additional might be needed; Seeds were used during cultivations but the seedlings were destroyed by pests/ insects due to lack of insecticides. Until this training, the land preparation part of the start-up kit was not used to the best extent, but now they have better understanding. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Aweil town, Maper Akot, Maper. Dates June 2014 Financial literacy & entrepreneurship TRAINING TYPES (business skill), agriculture # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 2 XCs attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of June 2014 The training team visited Wanyjok County (Aweil East) and provided training to the ex-combatants and community members for the payams of Baac, Akuem Kou and Yar Goot. All the participants of the training are members of 1 cooperative, which was formed by the ex-combatant who resides in this area. Mabior Guot Aguer was able to gather 28 community members around him and start a farming cooperative, which currently produces vegetables, beans and other crops for the members consumption, but they are planning to expand their operations and start generating profits. 48 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

51 Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatant and the community members formed a farming cooperative in which they produce green vegetables & legumes such as tomato, beans, maize, okra, groundnuts and many others for their consumption & business purposes; The cooperative is showing signs of becoming something bigger than an agricultural cooperative, as many of its members have additional skills in different areas and have the possibility of creating value added products/services; The total initial contribution was SSP 2,200, which can be considered significant and is a sign of trust that the members have in this enterprise. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: As in case of other ex-combatants, water pumps are needed very much for anyone who is involved in any kind of agricultural activities. The pumps are needed even during the rainy season, when the break between the rains can be as long as 1 week; Supply of insecticides is needed as even subsistence farming is heavily affected by insects. They will need more of them as their businesses grow; Training is needed on how to use different types of chemicals, whether it is a fertilizer or an insecticide; The ox and plough chain problem seems to have become universal. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The ex-combatant s start-up kit is being used effectively for the most part. The plough can t be used because no chain was provided with it and no ox was provided as well. For some of the tools additional minor training may be useful as they are not used in the best possible way (e.g. hoes and fork hoes). Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Wanyjok Centre, Aweil East County Dates June 2014 TRAINING TYPES Business and Agriculture Skills # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 1 XC & 28 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 49

52 5.3.4 Week of 30 June 5 July 2014 The payam of Malual Bai was visited during this week. The training was attended by 1 excombatant and 31 community members. The participants formed 3 different cooperatives in 3 different areas: farming, pharmacy business and general trade. Some of the ex-combatants were away and received their training in Aweil in addition to their ongoing driving school. The cooperative co-exist in the same area and exchange experience and knowledge. They also assist each other in addressing the issues and challenges that come up along the way. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants and the community members have adequate knowledge of the general operation procedures of cooperatives; The locations picked for the cooperatives can be considered successful, as they are close to the community s center of interests; They were able to fence off their agricultural business in order to protect it from wild and domestic animals wandering inside. They also hired a watchman; The pharmacy is located in the central Malual Bai Market area; Most of the members have a good understanding of how to use the farming tools; 75% of the members are women from various backgrounds; The cooperatives have a fixed hierarchy of management which includes 9 people starting with the Chairman and going down to Purchasing Officer. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Most of the cooperative members complain a lot for lack of insecticides/pesticides to protect their farm produces from the insects; The cooperative members also said that they have in adequate tools for farming. More tools are needed; More seeds provided to the cooperatives would make it easier for them to grow as business; Additional agricultural training opportunity is requested so that the cooperative members have a chance to learn modern farming techniques; Irrigation support is needed (pumps etc.) as the dry season is nearing; 50 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

53 Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The XCs and community members hire moldboard from the individuals who owned them for farming through their contributions; Traditional farming tools are being used effectively; The plough is not being used because there is no chain; They have more land than they received seed for, so more seeds would allow them to use more of their land in Malual Bai. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Malual Baai Centre in Aweil East county Dates 30 June-5 July 2014 TRAINING TYPES Business and Agriculture Skills # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 1 XC & 31 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing 5.4 State Specific Reporting: Western Bahr el-ghazal Western Bahr el-ghazal state is one of South Sudan s larger states and is home to 92 excombatants who were chosen to participate in this Pilot DDR Project. The state has areas adjacent to the Central African Republic border, which are considered both remote and relatively unsafe. Although some of the ex-combatants are residents of those parts of the state, the training team was able to locate, contact and train most of the ex-combatants by setting up training centers in locations that could be easily travelled to by the ex-combatants. The state of Western Bahr el-ghazal is also the location of the first formal cooperative of this Project. Seven ex-combatants who chose welding as their reintegration field, during Phase I of the Project, were given a generator to share among them provided that they registered their cooperative with NDDRC s assistance, which they successfully did and are now working together, although do face certain challenges, just like the rest of the pilot group. The distribution of the ex-combatants by the reintegration field in the state of Western Bahr el- Ghazal is provided below: DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 51

54 Reintegration field No. of ex-combatants Agricultural 41 Auto mechanical 8 Carpentry 13 Electrical 13 Masonry 1 Plumbing 5 Welding 7 Animal husbandry 4 TOTAL 92 In addition to making attempts to locate, reach and train the 92 ex-combatant originally residing in Western Bahr el-ghazal, the training team trained 8 ex-combatants, who migrated from other states 1 from Northern Bahr el-ghazal and 7 from Warrap. Their training records were passed on to those states training teams for further submission of that data with their reports Week of 9-14 June 2014 The ex-combatants from Wau County were invited for training during this week. The training team noticed that the in-state migration can be significant and the some ex-combatants have decided to move closer to the capital city. While the original number of Wau county residents is 29, a total of 34 ex-combatants and 3 community members were trained in financial literacy, entrepreneurship, agricultural skills etc. The reintegration process is progressing adequately and most of the ex-combatants are on their way to becoming completely reintegrated and full-scale community members in addition to the fact that they are developing their entrepreneurship skills and becoming more financially independent by the day. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The carpentry ex-combatants that we visited have formed a cooperative and were given land plots from the State Ministry of Land and Physical Infrastructure of Western Bahr el- Ghazal state at no cost; The welding ex-combatants formed a cooperative called Welding Ex-combatants Cooperative 2013 WBeG state and the cooperative was given a land plot by the State Ministry of Land and Physical Infrastructure of Western Bahr el-ghazal state at no cost; 5 Phase II is based on the original XC database and modifying it was not among this Project s task. 52 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

55 Four ex-combatants are currently employed by the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Forestry and Rural Development of Western Bahr el-ghazal state. They are now staff at the Ministry and receive monthly incentive; According to Thiel, he has actually started his business and facing some of the challenges like power connection to the area is a problem and need to buy generator for his business therefore, he kindly request the donors to offer him generator; Some of the ex-combatants already dug wells for irrigations. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Start-up kits and splinting machines which the ex-combatants received were often not enough. Additional provision is requested by the ex-combatants, e.g. 1 generator is not enough for 7 people; Some ex-combatants who live in remote areas requested accommodation during the training days as it was difficult for them to travel 2 days in a row; Additional equipment (e.g. carpentry) is needed by the ex-combatants to support their business; Some of the ex-combatants expected that they would receive some form of payments for attending the training; Agriculture ex-combatants are in needs of insecticides, pest and water sources for irrigation of their crops; The ex-combatants can t afford to rent workspace, land or additional tools; Need for more seeds. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The start-up kits are mostly in possession and in good condition, but the ex-combatants need some spare parts; The carpentry cooperative that we visited was formed by 7 of our ex-combatants and they were later joined by 2 community members with additional start-up kits that they received from Save the Children Foundation. They mentioned that those start-up kits were better than the ones provided by this program. Power and splinting machine is challenging both carpentry and auto-mechanic. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 53

56 Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Wau county, Wau town Dates 9-14 June 2014 agriculture,financial literacy and TRAINING TYPES cooperative entrepreneurship # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 34 XCs & 3 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of June 2014 During this week the Western Bahr el-ghazal training team trained 17 ex-combatants and 1 community member in the Mapel and Kuajina payams of Jur River County. The participants were members of 8 different cooperatives and came to the training as their representatives as most of the other members were either busy with their household work or their farming/cooperative work. The state of Western Bahr el-ghazal NDDRC office seems to be the most active in terms of working with the local government on the issues of providing land to the ex-combatants. Several cooperatives received land plots for their businesses. The local government also participated in the reintegration process by hiring some of the excombatants, who are now staff of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: Most of the ex-combatants in Mapel have formed cooperatives in either agriculture or carpentry; An ex-combatant in animal husbandry was able to increase his goat count to 4 heads, which is significant; Another animal husbandry ex-combatant now has 17 chicken; Most people from agriculture have already started their businesses through cultivation in their gardens with plans for business expansion; The carpentry ex-combatants formed a cooperative, obtained a land plot from the government with assistance from NDDRC and are now working in their area; The welding ex-combatants formed a cooperative, obtained a land plot from the government with assistance from NDDRC and are now working in their area; Four ex-combatants are currently employed by the Ministry of Animal Resources, Fisheries and Rural Development and they are on salary; Some of the ex-combatants took initiative and dug water wells for themselves for irrigation purposes. 54 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

57 The ex-combatants are successfully working with community members on various projects, including cooperative and day-to-day businesses. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Some ex-combatants complained about the quality of their start-up kits; 1 generator is not enough to be shared by 7 welders, according to them; Some ex-combatants requested accommodation during the training and told they would not attend again without that; The carpentry cooperative needs additional equipment to facilitate the business growth; Many ex-combatants expected to be paid at the end of the training; Agriculture ex-combatants are in need of seeds, insecticides and water sources. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The start-up kits in most cases are being used, but some parts of them already need repair; Complaints that shared components (welding machine, generator) are not sufficient; Some start-up kits were sold by either the ex-combatants or their relatives; Some parts were stolen from the ex-combatants; Some of the start-up kit parts went missing during the unrest in Mapel. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Mapel and Kuajina Payams, Jur River county Dates June 2014 Agriculture, financial literacy, bookkeeping, TRAINING TYPES management, entrepreneurship. # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 17 XCs & 1 Community Member attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 55

58 5.4.3 Week of June 2014 The training team of the Phase II of the South Sudan Pilot DDR Project visited Marial Bai payam of the Western Bahr el-ghazal state. The training was attended by 16 people, including 9 excombatants and 7 community members. Most of the ex-combatants have started small businesses that can feed them and their families. Most of the ex-combatants, regardless of the chosen reintegration field, have an small agricultural operation, which, depending of the resources and abilities, either provides enough food for the household, or provides a surplus that can be sold for cash. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants do not have to think about how to fulfil their basic needs and their small businesses/farming operations are able to provide them with enough food or enough income to buy food; The ex-combatants are mostly involved in growing traditional crops like maize, jirjir, onion, okra etc.; Despite facing numerous challenges, most of the ex-combatants are thankful to the NDDRC for this Program and understand the importance of reintegration; Animal husbandry ex-combatants businesses are growing steadily. They are not to the level of profit-oriented business, but the ex-combatants are able to support their households. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: In this third week of training, the ex-combatant s main complaints and challenges have started to repeat themselves and are often related to the start-up kits; Some of the tools quality could be better, according to the ex-combatants. This comment is mainly related to the traditional farming tools and might have to do with improper use or misuse of the tools; Insecticides and seeds are needed for the farmers; Medicines are needed for the animal husbandry ex-combatants. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: Most of the ex-combatants make good use of their start-up kits by applying the knowledge acquired during this program; 56 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

59 The ox-ploughs came with no ox and with no chain, so even if the ex-combatants rent an ox they still do not have a chain; Some of the basic farming tools are believed to be of poor condition, but this might be due to improper use; Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Marial Bay payam Dates June 2014 TRAINING TYPES agriculture,financial literacy, Book keeping management and entrepreneurship development and cooperative # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 9 XCs & 7 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of 30 June-5 July ex-combatants received their follow-up training this week in Wau town of the state of Western Bahr el-ghazal. This was a second session of training performed in Wau as not all the excombatants were able to attend during the week 1 of the state-level training. The ex-combatants are showing impressive progress in their reintegration and are proudly presenting their tangible results to the training team. Most of them are able to support their daily living and are targeting at starting to make profits from their small businesses. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: One of the ex-combatants (MAPL ) harvested 4 bags of onions, which he was able to exchange for 2 bags of sorghum; A partnership of 1 ex-combatant and 2 community members was formed to provide carpentry services. It is also a family business as one of the two community members is the ex-combatant s brother; Subsistence farming is present in most ex-combatants households and is mostly represented by maize, onion and okra; The animal husbandry ex-combatants are very pleased with their own progress as they see their herds growing in numbers. They are now learning that they actually need to buy and use medicines for the animals to keep them alive and healthy; 9 ex-combatants are going to enroll in driving and mechanic courses with the Wau Vocational Center; DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 57

60 An ex-combatant of carpentry reintegration field was able to obtain wood logs from the Kuajena forestry and is now looking for ways to deliver them to his work place in Dongajak. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Start-up kits of any kind are highly appreciated by both ex-combatants and the community members as tools are scarce; Generator is desired by almost every participant of the training; Basic maintenance spare parts are needed: nuts, bolts, grease etc.; Some of the ex-combatants complain about not receiving their pension; The ex-combatants would like to receive motorbikes and additional mechanic training; Most of the carpenters complain that they cannot get their hands on timber; Some of the ex-combatants expected to get paid for receiving the training. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The construction materials provided to the animal husbandry ex-combatants were not enough to build a house for the goats/chicken; The electricians need items like wires, nuts, bolts and ladders; The carpenters have trouble working with daggers and believe they are not functioning; Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Wau Town Dates 30 June 5 July 2014 TRAINING TYPES agriculture,financial literacy, Book keeping management and entrepreneurship development and cooperative # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 16 XCs attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing 58 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

61 5.5 State Specific Reporting: Warrap The state of Warrap is one of the largest state of South Sudan in terms of its area and population. It also has numerous territories, which become unpassable during most of the rainy season, which usually starts in May of every year. This Project s state-level training came to be conducted during the climatically unfavorable time and the training team, among other things, had to face transportation challenges when travelling between training locations. Warrap has 75 ex-combatants originally registered for this pilot Project as residents, but the statelevel training activities period showed that some of the ex-combatants migrated to other neighboring states Western Bahr-el Ghazal (8 people) and Lakes (1 person). With 8 people trained in other states and 1 person, who migrated to the state of Western Bahr el-ghazal, unreached, the Warrap training team managed to train 74 out of 75 ex-combatants, delivering business/cooperative and agricultural training in 5 different training locations around the state in accordance with the ex-combatants reintegration field preference indicated during the training in Mapel in August Reintegration field No. of ex-combatants Agricultural 43 Auto mechanical 12 Carpentry 6 Electrical 1 Masonry 2 Plumbing 3 Welding 0 Animal husbandry 8 TOTAL Week of 9-14 June 2014 This week s training in Warrap state covered 5 cooperatives. In total, 37 ex-combatants and 1 community member were trained on various topics. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 59

62 Following the informational support organized by the training team and NDDRC, the attendance was impressive for the first week of training. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: Support training sessions conducted on various topics for the excombatants in Tonj South with great success; We helped in formation of 5 new cooperatives since the original ones had died immediately after they were formed; Counseled and resolved the issue of allegations that this DDR program was part of Riek Machar s campaign. The ex-combatants did not want to become associated with that kind of activity; Local leaders were met in Tonj South and they gave us support during the mobilization and sensitizations of the ex-combatants; The team visited one of the upcoming mechanic Garage and supported the initiative. He was trained on production and workplace management (see pic). Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: The commission staff need more motivation since the cost of living is high; Some ex-combatants mistrust the Institution a lot because initially they had high expectations. They claim that a lot of money was given to DDR and disappeared; Inability (both financial and in terms of capacity) of the ex-combatants to sustain the cooperatives after their formation; The lack of resources and clear plan on the side of the ex-combatants; Continuous in-state migration of the ex-combatants affects their business capacity; Some of the ex-combatants have no desire to develop themselves and try to practice the obtained skills; Some of the ex-combatants lack out-of-the-box thinking and do not consider other business avenues except the fields that they got trained in in Mapel; Animal Husbandry beneficiaries all claim that the animals died; Long drought season is a set back to the agriculturalists; Most of the ex-combatants do not have access to the information on where to get services like Veterinary services. Agricultural services etc.; 60 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

63 There are difficulties in reaching certain areas since the roads are very bad in this rain season; No land to start their businesses in town; Most of the ex-combatants claim that the tool kits were not sufficient for business. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: On average the tool kits are being used well, but some are incomplete, according to the ex-combatants; The start-up kit least used is the plough as the say most of the parts like chains and some bolts are missing; Almost all the goats and chicken died according to the XCS of Animal Husbandry; Tool kits of Auto-mechanics are not being used as the XCS don t have the skills to operate it; The carpentry say that they were not given Jackplane and almost all the tools are of poor quality. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) TRAINING TYPES Warrap, Tonj South,Tonj,War Giir Business Start and development Cooperative Development Production and workplace management Financial literacy Agriculture # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 37 XCs & 1 Community Member attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of June 2014 The training team visited the Pagol Agricultural Cooperative Society a cooperative founded by an ex-combatant in Tonj North County s Pagol payam. The ex-combatant (Lual Nhial Mangok) was able to gather 20 community members around him and they are now successfully operating and the reintegration start-up kit is being used extensively and productively. While the land plot they received is currently too big for them to handle, they have great plans to DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 61

64 develop as a business and ultimately utilize the whole area they have been given by the Government with NDDRC s support. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The members of the cooperative managed to start the vegetable growing process and are now expecting results; The ex-combatant showed great level of leadership by organizing 20 community members around his business idea; A sizeable land plot was allocated for this cooperative; and They have started fencing off their land so that unwanted people/animals can t get inside. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Their fencing is still poor and in need of further improvements; Pests and diseases are significantly affecting their farming; Although highly motivated, the member of the cooperative lack clear and detailed plans of further development, especially so in terms of management; Some other ex-combatants were in this cooperative before, but disappeared, leaving just one person. Mostly due to the fact that they did not want to work every day; The farming practices they use are obsolete and they need further agricultural training, because the cooperative s productivity depends on it; This year s long drought season became a setback; Until we came with the training, the people did not know that they could get additional agricultural services from the Ministry directly; Difficulties in reaching certain areas since the roads are very bad in this rain season; Tool maintenance is sometimes a problem, because the people do not realize the importance of tool maintenance/cleaning/etc. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: Some of the provided tools have proved to be a lot more effective than the ones traditionally used in this area, e.g. they are now using hoes and rakes instead of small hoes; The ox-plough without an ox and a chain is not very efficient and rarely used, when the cooperative has a chance to rent an ox; Tool maintenance is very poor. 62 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

65 Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Tonj North,Pagol,Mayenloch Dates June 2014 Production and workplace management, record TRAINING TYPES keeping, marketing and sales, agriculture. # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 1 XC & 20 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of June 2014 The Warrap state training team delivered the follow-up training to 20 people, including 7 excombatants and 13 community members. Some of the ex-combatants who were originally based in Warrap state, were discovered in the states of Lakes and Western Bahr el-ghazal. Their names and contact information were provided to the corresponding state managers for the proper training to be delivered. Some of the ex-combatants, although received a particular training and start-up kit in Phase I, are now interested in a different reintegration field. This is often true for the ex-combatants of originally non-agricultural reintegration field, who then realized that it is too complicated and they can feed themselves easier by being a subsistence farmer. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants are mostly engaged in subsistence farming with a few of them having surplus production that they can potentially sell; Some ex-combatants, despite being unsuccessful in their private business, were able to find a stable job, which is very important, because some people do not naturally have the business mindset; Several cooperatives were formed: Ngic Rot Loi Group, Kong-Tiing agricultural cooperative, Cyie manyiel cooperative, and Bumat NDDRC cooperative. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 63

66 Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Inability of the XCS to sustain the cooperatives after their formation; The lack of resources and clear plan; Obsolete farming methods are used by the population, which in most cases means low productivity; The drought season is expected to become a big challenge for the ex-combatants; Lack of information of existing government support programs for farmers, entrepreneurs etc.; It is almost impossible to acquire land plot in town. If the land offered to the ex-combatants is usually outside of town in a very inconvenient location; Most of the ex-combatants claim that more tools should have been in the start-up kits. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: Some of the ex-combatants still do not make use of the start-up kit, although they keep it; The usual problem with the agriculture start-up kit is the lack of ox and the lack of a chain; Auto-mechanics start-up kits are the least used ones, because the ex-combatants have no knowledge of how to use them. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Gogrial East, Gogrial West, Kuac south Dates June 2014 Production and workplace TRAINING TYPES management, record keeping, marketing and sales, agriculture. # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 7 XCs & 13 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of 30 June-5 July 2014 Two counties were covered during this week Abyei County and Twic County with 28 people having benefited from the follow-up training, including 10 ex-combatants and 18 community member involved in the cooperative businesses with the ex-combatants. 64 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

67 The ex-combatants were happy to receive these visits by the training teams as they had already lost their hope of receiving this training. Many ex-combatants do not own a mobile phone and it is difficult to locate them. Additionally, the rainy season made it challenging for the training team to get to some of the locations. But all the challenges pay off when the team sees the ex-combatants thankful for the training. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants are mostly able to support themselves in terms of food and basic needs; A daily income of SSP is considered adequate for 1 person this is the amount of money that a person can earn by working for someone or by selling or re-selling agricultural produce; The ex-combatants who were able to set up a slightly larger scale farming operations are able to make up to SSP 300 per days during the harvesting season; The start-up kit usage level is high among the ex-combatants with agricultural field of reintegration, while the other ex-combatants sometimes require additional tools and/or training. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Unfortunately, some of the ex-combatants have alcohol abuse problems and are not willing to address them, which complicates the process of their reintegration; Pesticides are needed by all the ex-combatants that have any kind of farming operation; Some ex-combatants are asking for seeds of pumpkins and water melons, saying that those would grow very well in the area; The usual problems of ox, chain, nuts and bolts are also present in these 2 counties; Boreholes and water pumps are in big demand, keeping in mind the dry season. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: Some of the agricultural start-up kits are still stored at the NDDRC office uncollected/undelivered. They are too bulky for the ex-combatants to collect them and they are waiting for assistance in delivering the start-up kits to their place of residence; The auto-mechanics start-up kits are not being used as the ex-combatants are still waiting to receive additional training in that area, after which they will be able to start their small businesses; The ploughs are rarely being used as they are difficult to assemble ad to maintain. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 65

68 Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Twic and Abyei Counties, Warrap state Dates 30 June 5 July 2014 TRAINING TYPES Business and Agriculture Skills # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 10 XCs & 18 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of 7-12 July 2014 Seven ex-combatants were reached and trained in this last week of the state-level training. These persons could not be reached in their states as they did not show much desire to receive the training, but the training team was able to approach them in Kwajok town, when they came there to collect their army salaries. After the training, however, the ex-combatants were happy that they had a chance to receive it, because they obtained additional knowledge on how to potentially gain stable income by working in agricultural production, service industry (e.g. fixing furniture, equipment etc.) or by creating or joining a cooperative. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants trust in the NDDRC was reinstated by the training team; Agricultural training was provided to all the seven ex-combatants regardless of their initial reintegration field; The ex-combatants realized that they can generate more money by working in the society than by being in the army and waiting for the salary every month; Information was provided to the ex-combatants about various possibilities within the Government of South Sudan of receiving various tangible assistant if working in a formal cooperative; Psychologically, it was a relief for these ex-combatants to meet the training team to make sure that someone still cares about them and makes efforts to assist them in their reintegration process. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: High mobility of these XCS makes it very hard to reach them. We managed to get these ones because they had come to pick their salaries; 66 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

69 The traditional farming practices that are practiced by the population are now obsolete and mostly ineffective; Pests and diseases pose great danger to the efforts of the ex-combatants; Most of the ex-combatants do not have the information on where to get veterinary and agricultural services, which are available to the general public, including them; The town areas do not provide land to start their business. The available land plots are usually in remote, unsafe locations that are not the best for business or agriculture; The ex-combatants would like to have received a more complete start-up kit: more tools, better brands etc.; There is a superstition that if one works hard and makes good money they will definitely be robbed and killed by bad people. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: One start-up kit is still stored in the state NDDRC office in Kuajok and were never delivered to the ex-combatants; The start-up kits in the ex-combatants possession are intact and used, usually except the ox-plough, which requires 2 bulls and a chain to operate, none of which is generally available to the ex-combatants; The auto-mechanics ex-combatants need additional training before they are able to use their start-up kits, because at the moments they do not have sufficient knowledge. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Kwajok Center, Warrap state Dates 7-12 July 2014 TRAINING TYPES Business and Agriculture Skills # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 7 XCs attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing. 5.6 State Specific Reporting: Lakes Among the four participating states, Lakes state is the closest one to the territories of recent unrest in South Sudan s oil-rich regions. Considering this, it is seen as a great success of the South Sudan DDR Program that none of the 93 ex-combatants residing in this state, returned to any kind of conflict-related activities. All of them fully realized the advantages of the peaceful, DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 67

70 society-oriented lives in the communities. Living with their families, having a small business of their own and being in control of their own income and its distribution became the deciding factor for staying at home and away from taking sides in the conflict. The training team was able to reach and train 81 of Lakes 93 ex-combatants participating in this Pilot Project. In addition, one ex-combatants from Warrap state was trained and a widow of an excombatants who passed away earlier this year. Reintegration field No. of ex-combatants Agricultural 40 Auto mechanical 28 Carpentry 4 Electrical 5 Masonry 3 Plumbing 0 Welding 2 Animal husbandry 11 TOTAL 93 The training team received a high level of cooperation from both the local authorities and the state DDR Commission, who assisted in the team s in-state travel as well as in contacting the excombatants leaders and in organizing their timely arrival for the training activities. The ex-combatants in Lakes state preferred to work by themselves and start their own/family operated small businesses as opposed to joining forces with other ex-combatants and community members in forming cooperatives. The logistics in Lakes state is difficult and, for example, agricultural small business can mostly be targeted at the local/regional market, because it is difficult to deliver the produce to other regions and states Week of 9-14 June 2014 The training team provided training to 35 ex-combatants and 1 community member during week 1 of the state-level training, which focused of the ex-combatants who reside in Rumbek center area. Most of the participants are still in possession of their start-up kits. However, in many instances the ex-combatants do not have adequate skills to make the best use of the tools provided to them. This creates a lot of sense in the expert visits program introduced in this Phase II of the Pilot DDR Project. 68 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

71 Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: Several ex-combatants have started commercial farming like Marial Madol and others. The training on sales and marketing, Production, Cooperative formation and commercial farming was provided to them; The training team targeted at igniting the ex-combatants effort in further developing their business skills. For some of them, the team will visit their business locations to boost their morale and deliver additional hands-on knowledge; The fact that the ex-combatants are now community members makes them learn many thing as their life goes. For example, the importance of daily and weekly budgeting has been realized by most of the ex-combatants; Several ex-combatants were able to find themselves in areas different from those indicated during Phase I. They are successfully using the business skills obtained; There is a 7 ha. farm organized by one of the ex-combatants that deals with sorghum and groundnut. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants who received the agricultural start-up kit request a chain and an ox for the ox-plough; Auto-mechanics ex-combatants need the driving lessons so they can test the vehicles they have repaired; Land is needed by the ex-combatants for expanding their businesses; Irrigation is often a problem, especially when there is drought. So, a water pump is desired by many of the ex-combatants; The general complaint by the ex-combatants is that Lakes state has security problems. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: Most of the start-up kits are intact, but many are not used because of lack of skill or financial resources; Ox-ploughs did not include chains and/or bulls; There is an issue of expectations. Some ex-combatants expected to receive more tools/cattle with the start-up kits. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 69

72 Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Rumbek Centre NDDRC compound Dates June 2014 TRAINING TYPES Financial literacy, Budgeting, cooperative formation and commercial farming. # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 35 XCs & 1 Community Member attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of 9-14 June 2014 The training team visited 9 ex-combatants and 1 community member. The one community member is the widow of an ex-combatant who was unfortunately killed while working on his farm. While there were no cooperatives formed so far, the ex-combatants are planning to start their businesses in the nearest future. Being owners of an ox-ploughs, some of them acquired the cooperation skills by co-working with owners of bulls to plough both interested persons land. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants have made their first steps by establishing subsistence farming to make sure they can feed themselves and their families. This includes planting crops small scale in their personal gardens and backyards; The ex-combatants realize the importance of the training and appreciate the efforts of the training team; The newly introduced agricultural training proved to be very useful and more of such training will be needed in the future as the ex-combatants farming businesses grow; Cooperation in sharing an ox-plough and a bull is an indicator of the ex-combatants preparedness to be full scale community members and they can already be considered as such. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: Chains and ox for the ox-ploughs are needed; Auto-mechanics training is needed by the ex-combatants who chose auto-mechanics and their reintegration field; General infrastructure state is slowing down the development: roads, utilities, services etc.; Support needed for the land allocation; 70 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

73 Security issues in Lakes state often interfere with the ex-combatants business development plans; Micro financing is underdeveloped in South Sudan. Otherwise the ex-combatants would be able to take small loans to facilitate business growth; Pesticides/insecticides are needed. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: Most of the start-up kits are in possession of the ex-combatants. They are using them to some extent, but not effectively because of lack of specialized training, financial resources and lack of entrepreneurial mentality; The Most of the start-up kits were still in good condition and being used by the owners. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Rumbek East, Rumbek Center Dates June 2014 Cooperative formation and its importance, TRAINING TYPES budgeting, agribusiness, financial literacy and management. # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 9 XCs & 1 Community Member attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing Week of June 2014 During this week the training team visited the counties of Yirol East, Yirol West and Awerial. The total number of people trained is 37, which includes 32 ex-combatants and 5 community members. Due to occasional unrest in the state, some of the ex-combatants were not able to start their business. On the other hand, they did not go back to the army and did not join any side of the conflict, because they realize that they now have to reintegrate back into the community. The animal husbandry ex-combatants are waiting to receive the goats and the chicken, which will be purchased and delivered to them by the training team in the nearest future. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: Even though some ex-combatants do not yet have enough skills and resources to run their business, they fully realize the importance of being able to support themselves and their families; DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 71

74 Most of the ex-combatants have a small farming operation regardless of the their field of reintegration and the type of everyday job; Given the scarce resources, the ex-combatants have learned to share them. For example, if their neighbor has a bull and they have some other faring tools, the ex-combatant will take the bull for 1 days and give his neighbor the farming tools for 2 days; Carpentry can be seen as second most valuable reintegration field, because even the basic carpentry skills and some tools will provide living to the person and his family; The ex-combatants positively respond to the motivational and inspirational activities carried out by the training teams as part of the follow-up visits. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: General sense of insecurity continues to be a constraining factor in several parts of the state, although in general the situation is showing signs of improvement; The ex-combatants claim that they need assistance with more tools, seeds, water pumps, boreholes and chemicals (pesticides); Due to vast fishing resources in the state, some of the ex-combatants requested fishing nets; Fencing materials are needed to protect the harvest; The ex-combatants think that they should also be getting the working (expendable) materials, e.g. fixtures for the tables for carpenters etc. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The start-up kits are mainly in the ex-combatants possession and are mostly used; The animal husbandry start-up kits are being completed and the ex-combatants willstart working with them soon; The ex-combatants complained that mane tools handles broke already. Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Greater Yirol Area Dates June 2014 TRAINING TYPES Cooperative formation and its importance, budgeting, agribusiness, financial literacy and management. # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 32 XCs & 5 Community Members attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing. 72 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

75 5.6.4 Week of 30 June-5 July 2014 Three ex-combatants received a visit by the training team during this week all of them in the reintegration field of agriculture. They are all using their yards to grow crops in order to feed themselves and their families as well as to sell any surplus that emerges. The usual crops that they grow are tomatoes, okra and onion, which are considered a fairly safe choice in terms of growing as own food and for sale. Achievements The following achievements were noted by the training teams: During the okra season, it is possible to receive a revenue of up to SSP 75 per day from selling okra. This is of course not entirely profit, because the ex-combatants spent their time, effort and resources while growing it, but they still see it as their profit because it is real cash in their hands; The business side of their farming is only starting and it will only develop after they are completely confident in their ability to support themselves and invest some of the effort and finances in business development, but they are on the right track. Challenges The following challenges were noted by the training teams: The ex-combatants claim that they need assistance with more tools, seeds, water pumps, boreholes and chemicals (pesticides); Due to vast fishing resources in the state, some of the ex-combatants requested fishing nets; Fencing materials are needed to protect the harvest; They feel they should be getting even more support from the government. Start-up kit use The following comments can be made on the start-up kit use: The start-up kits are used widely, but, as in different parts of the state, the ex-combatants need an ox and a chain for that ox-plough; Some of the smaller tools are broken, lost or stolen; Opinion is expressed that they should have received more tools. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 73

76 Attendance LOCATION(state, county, payam, boma) Cueibet County, Commissioners Compound Dates 30 June 5 July 2014 Book keeping, Production, Marketing and TRAINING TYPES sale, Crop rotation, Transplanting # DDR ID FULL NAME PHONE # XC/CM SIGNATURE 3 XCs attended. Individual Information Redacted for Printing. 5.7 State Training Lessons Learned The state-level training activities covered 270 (93%) of the ex-combatants, and 129 community members and overall can be considered a major success of South Sudan s DDR Program. However, as this project is a pilot, the Consultant kept a constant eye to areas where lessons could be learned and improvements made in future DDR programming in South Sudan. The training teams faced numerous challenges, which should be addressed during the planning stage of the future DDR activities in South Sudan. Resolving the issues listed in this chapter will facilitate smooth operation of field training activities, follow-up visits, and vocational training arrangements as well as more effective cooperation among and within the training teams. This section outlines the most significant constraints that the training teams faced while in the field. The challenges and ways of addressing them are covered in detail in Appendix 2 of this report. Timing of training The Phase II activities, after being rescheduled several times for reasons outside of Client s or Consultant s control, started at a time when most of the population of South Sudan is busy in their fields and backyards cultivating crops, because mid-may is usually the start of the rainy season, which then ends in October. Also, the rainy season in South Sudan is the time when many of the roads, especially regional roads, are in extremely bad condition and sometimes unpassable, which makes it difficult for (i) the training teams to travel to the training locations from the state capital and (ii) the ex-combatants to travel to the training locations from their payams and bomas. Literacy/Numeracy Even basic level of literacy and numeracy among the ex-combatants cannot be considered as a given for project planning purposes. The training teams, while in field conditions, had to sometimes redesign the previously developed curricula to turn them into more visual and to include additional modules on literacy and numeracy. 74 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

77 Expectations Many of the ex-combatants were expecting the training teams: To bring their salaries, which were sometimes not paid for a few months; To pay them money for coming to the training; To provide food and accommodation; and To provide more tools. Mindset Many ex-combatants, unfortunately, did not overcome the habit of receiving instructions, salary, clothing etc. This affects their ability to make adequate decisions in financially planning their small businesses. Even the ex-combatants who have relatively successful business operations have a hard time realizing that the revenues they get need to be partially reinvested, otherwise the business will slowly decline and at some point stop making revenues. Information The Government of South Sudan, in cooperation with international donors, offers various and numerous opportunities for its population to receive assistance in supporting their livelihood. For example, the Ministry of Agriculture can provide tractor services, fencing, seeds etc. Other ministries also have different support programs. Unfortunately, the ex-combatants in most cases have no knowledge of such programs and have to only rely on themselves, their families and NDDRC in their reintegration into the society and financially supporting themselves in their day-today lives. High mobility Many ex-combatants have a tendency to move a lot within their state or even within the region, which makes it difficult for the training teams to plan their participation in the training sessions before they are actually contacted and commit to attending the training in one of the locations. Alcohol Unfortunately, alcohol abuse is a constraining factor in DDR activities, because it seriously limits the ability of the training teams to successfully deliver the knowledge and reintegration concept to the ex-combatants. The ex-combatants who have a drinking problem often do not accept the very existence of this problem and are not willing to join forces with other ex-combatants and community members in forming cooperatives. Cooperative registration The efforts of both the Government of South Sudan and this Pilot DDR Project are largely targeted at stimulating the formation of cooperatives, which is both (i) a great reintegration tool for the ex- DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 75

78 combatants and (ii) a way for society to collectively support its members by sharing the tools, knowledge, experience etc. Both Phase I and Phase II of this Pilot DDR project promoted the idea of cooperatives among the ex-combatants, but it became obvious during the Phase II follow-up visits, that, although many excombatants accepted the idea of cooperatives being one of the best ways to improves their lives, they only organized themselves and community members on the basis of verbal agreements. The cooperative operations witnessed by the training teams were all not registered with the state. This is partially because they did not have enough procedural knowledge and were not willing to pay the state registration fees, which is approximately SSP 650 (approximately USD 206 at the official exchange rate). Land While some groups of ex-combatants received assistance from NDDRC in receiving and registering land plots, land is generally a problem, because most of the ex-combatants still do not have land for starting their own business. Many have agricultural land but no land in a location conducive to small business use. The government does have some land to offer, but this land is usually located in unfavorable locations difficult to cultivate in (e.g. water is not available). Obtaining a land plot in urban areas is especially difficult. Training venues The training teams had to spend significant amount of time at each training location looking for a suitable training venue and negotiating the terms of use. In most cases, they were able to successfully arrange the venues, but at the cost of the time that could potentially be used for reaching out to/training ex-combatants. Start-up kits The training teams also collected feedback on the use and status of the start-up kits by the excombatants. This detailed feedback is compiled in the attached Livelihoods Start-up Kit Report, however it is of note that the proper alignment of start-up kit materials to needs, and knowledge in their use is an important part of the XCs potential success. 76 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

79 6. Technical Skills Extension Apart from the core task of providing the ex-combatants with the follow-up visits and to monitor their reintegration progress, Phase II of the South Sudan Pilot DDR Project was designed to deliver additional assistance to supplement the strengthened business skills with activities targeted at building additional capacity of the ex-combatant in his/her particular previously picked reintegration field. This assistance was provided as supplementary training, some of which was integrated in the core activities of the Project such as agriculture trainings which reached out to all the ex-combatants in the particular reintegration field. For the other reintegration fields, ex-combatants had a choice whether to attend additional structured training or not. The Technical Skills Extension included (i) agricultural extension visits, (ii) vocation expert visits and (iii) targeted vocational trainings. 6.1 Agricultural Extension Visits The agricultural extension training was an integrated part of the Phase II state-based trainings as outlined above. The training was provided to all the agricultural ex-combatants by Ministry of Agriculture Extension Workers in coordination with the follow-up entrepreneurship, cooperatives and financial literacy training provided by the teams of state managers and ICRS caseworkers.the South Sudan Ministry of Agriculture extension workers were made part of the state-level training teams and available to provide training in agriculture to all the ex-combatants reached in the four participating states. Similar to the business training teams, the agriculture extension workers attended a Training of Trainers at the start of Phase II. The details of the agricultural extension training can be found in the Project Preparation chapter of this report, covering the Agricultural Training of Trainers as well as in the Training of Trainers curriculum and handbook developed by the international agricultural expert and submitted separately with this report. Within Phase II of the South Sudan Pilot DDR Project, the agricultural extension training was delivered to 119 ex-combatant out of the original 129 people who chose agriculture as their field of reintegration. In addition, because the extension workers were travelling together with the Phase II training teams, the agricultural extension training was available for the ex-combatants of other reintegration fields to attend, provided that it did not interfere with their core training following a non-objection of the state manager. The number of additionally trained ex-combatants was not recorded as no separate attendance sheet policy was introduced for them. 6.2 Vocational Expert Visits The expert visits became one of the Phase II components that were arranged and administered by the National DDR commission. This track gave the ex-combatants of non-agriculture reintegration DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 77

80 fields the opportunity to receive a visit by an experienced professional with proven skills in their respective field. The expert visits were not mandatory and the ex-combatants were free to decide if they wanted to participate in this sub-component or not. The reach or this activity was also limited by availability of experts in locations close to those of the corresponding ex-combatants and other options chosen by the ex-combatants (see Additional Assistance section below). Additionally, the majority of the population was busy cultivating. Although having potential, this component needs careful state-level pre-planning in order to be successfully implemented. With proper logistical support and coordination, the National DDR Commission, in cooperation with small business representatives and training facilities, will be able to provide the ex-combatants in all the states with expert visits that will benefit their reintegration. In the absence of the above, the expert visits were limited to 1 welding expert, who visited the states of Western Bahr el-ghazal, Warrap and Lakes and mentored the ex-combatants of welding reintegration field residing in those states. 6.3 Targeted Vocational Training At the request of the NDDRC the project was asked to incorporate targeted vocational training in phase II for those ex-combatants that did not receive sufficient vocational training at the Mapel Transitional Facility. Specifically, the ex-combatants that had chosen the auto-mechanic/driving vocational track were deemed to be in need of additional training. To provide this additional training the Consultant worked with local vocational skills training entities. South Sudan has a number of professional training facilities which provide both basic and in-depth professional training. Some of them are multi-functional and provide training in various professions, while others are single profession training centers, e.g. driving school, which assist students with both training and also help them receive their driving licenses.the auto ex-combatants in each state was informed of the training options and the results of the targeted vocational training accomplished by the National DDR Commission are presented in the table below 6. Type of training No. of beneficiaries Driving school 52 Auto-mechanics training 2 Some of the above training was supplemented by additional assistance that is described in the chapter below. 6 Information obtained from the NDDRC 78 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

81 7. Additional Assistance Although most of the components and sub-components of the Phase II were thoughtfully and thoroughly planned in advance, there were instances where this Project was able to assist the excombatants reintegration by providing assistance as needs and opportunities arose. These activities were minor in terms of the size of the Project, but ended up being extremely valuable to (i) boost the ex-combatants trust in the DDR Program, (ii) ensure their trust in NDDRC as an organization and (iii) set a foundation for their further progress in building their livelihood in the communities of return under the modern society-driven and market-based rules. 7.1 Land Registration South Sudan, being a country of sizeable area, makes land plots available to certain groups of citizens free of charge, including ex-combatants, provided that they organize themselves into partnerships or cooperatives. The National DDR Commission s state-level offices assist the excombatants in utilizing this opportunity and registering for a land plot. The state NDDRC offices make this information available to the ex-combatants on a regular basis and provide assistance to the ex-combatants in following all the formal procedures associated with this opportunity. To date, four land plots were officially registered under the names of ex-combatant-organized cooperatives in the counties of Wau and Tonj in the state of Western Bahr el-ghazal. The Phase II Pilot DDR Project contributed by covering the registration fees for these four plots of land. 7.2 Cooperative registration The government of South Sudan encourages cooperatives by providing through various ministries, numerous opportunities to registered cooperatives, e.g. tractor lease, subsidized seeds etc., but very often financial illiteracy prevents people (not just ex-combatants) from registering a cooperative, and when they do go all the way the registration fee becomes the final obstacle that they, even collectively, cannot overcome. This Project contributed by paying the cooperative registration fee for a cooperative of 10 ex-combatants and numerous community members in Marial Bai, Western Bahr el-ghazal. 7.3 Driving licenses and medical tests. As outlined above the ex-combatants who chose the automotive track were provided supplementary vocational training by being enrolled in the state-run driving school. Here they were able to obtain the necessary skills that would result in them receiving the official driver s license, enabling them to launch a career in driving. In order to receive a driver s license a medical examination and license issuance fee was required. Phase II of the Pilot DDR Project financed these mandatory medical examinations as well as official license issuance fees for all the excombatants who attended the driving schools. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 79

82 7.4 Timber supply Some ex-combatants were not interested in additional skills training, stating that they have all the necessary skills, and their start-up kit however, they had a shortage of raw materials to successfully run their business, i.e. timber. Following the above, the National DDR Commission, within Phase II of the Pilot DDR Project, procured timber through the line ministry for 5 ex-combatants, who chose to forego the expert visits and suggested this as an alternative. 80 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

83 8. Recommendations and way forward The lessons learned presented here are envisaged to act as a major tool in the process of designing the projected future DDR activities in the Republic of South Sudan. Therefore, they are presented in this (i) as separate sections outlining the major challenges as well as ways of addressing them, and (ii) as Appendix 2 to the report, incorporating both major and minor lessons learned of this Pilot Reintegration Project. Lessons learned include challenges and recommendations of every component of this Phase II of the Pilot reintegration (Project preparation, Training of Trainers, state-level training) as well as recommendations on modification of the start-up kit component, which was a part of the Phase I activities. A basic theme of the Lessons Learned from the livelihoods component is that all parts of the Project (starting from Project preparation and up to the follow-up training) should be carefully planned to the last detail. At the planning stage, advice should be sought from the local authorities, NDDRC HQ and state offices, ex-combatant leaders, and other parties that can potentially contribute to smooth flow of the DDR activities in South Sudan. Additionally, several important factors should be considered during the planning stage of any community-aimed project in South Sudan, because ignoring them may result in challenges during the project s implementation stage, which can be negative experience for both the implementing party and the beneficiary. Some of these factors are: Rainy season start and finish; Language/dialect for each state/region; Road conditions/transportation; Ex-combatants expectations/mindset; Literacy/numeracy levels in different parts of the country; Current small business trends in various states; Significant difference in prices for the same products in different states. This section of the Report provides general recommendations to further develop the structure of South Sudan s DDR Program to better suit the current situation in the country, existing challenges, constraints and bottlenecks. It is the Consultant s opinion that following these recommendations will allow the NDDRC to not only smoothen the existing design of DDR Program, but also to further improve some of its key aspects. Besides these recommendations and the lessons learned within this Phase II, it is very important that continuity be maintained throughout the whole South Sudan s DDR Program. This specifically involves continuity within the National DDR Commission s implementation team, because the knowledge collected within the NDDRC during the 2 phases of this Pilot can be invaluable when the program scales up to include increased numbers of ex-combatants in more states. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 81

84 8.1 Project Preparation The planning stage is crucial for success and sufficient time should be allocated to plan all stages of the Project in detail. The knowledge accumulated by the TDRP, NDDRC and UNICON during this Pilot allows to collectively design a potential DDR Program which may become more effective and efficient. This will be especially useful if the number of participating states and ex-combatants rises. Careful planning is needed from the very beginning and for all stages of the DDR Program. The plan needs to be as detailed as possible, but at the same time as flexible as possible, to accommodate any unforeseen circumstances along the way. Special attention at the planning stage should be given to the following areas: Budgeting The budget for all the DDR activities should be planned at the earliest possible stage, using the current costs obtained from all the participating states (the prices may vary greatly from state to state). Timing Each stage of the project needs to be planned in accordance with South Sudan s dry/rain season pattern and other potential time constraining factors, e.g. holidays, training centers availability etc. Logistics Various logistical tasks should be handled with great attention. This includes logistics of (i) start-up kit procurement, (ii) training team travel 7, (iii) ex-combatant travel and (iv) possible food and accommodation for the ex-combatants Vocational options The feedback and information collected during Phase II of the Pilot DDR project suggests that some of the vocations/reintegration fields do not necessarily bring substantial value to the excombatants in terms of potential income in their particular locations of return. It is recommended by the Consultant that the vocations are carefully revised and reduced in number, which (i) will allow easier further planning and (ii) ensure that the ex-combatants are trained in a profession that has a high likelihood of bringing them stable income. Within this Project, most of the ex-combatants did not appear to have made an informed decision of their field of reintegration and their choice was excitement-driven rather than pragmatic. There should be preparatory work done in all the participating states to identify the existing short-term and medium-term need for professions so that the ex-combatants can be informed of that at the time of making a choice of their reintegration field. 7 Especially so in light of UNMISS flights being unavailable to the NDDRC as of July SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

85 Considering the fact that South Sudan is predominantly agricultural country as well as having carefully analyzed the original eight fields of reintegration and their marketability in the participating states, the following steps are recommended for consideration in designing a future DDR program: Provide agricultural/animal husbandry training to all the participating ex-combatants, because these are the fields the ex-combatants are most likely to succeed in.; Reduce the number of reintegration fields (and correlated start-up kits) to: o Agriculture; o Animal husbandry; o Carpentry; o Auto-mechanics. Depending on their community of return, provide the ex-combatants with recommendations on the reintegration field, which will have a better chance of providing them with a stable source of income. The above recommendations are also supported by the results of numerous studies and reports on DDR activities in northern Africa Start-up kit design According to the information collected during the follow-up visits to the various payams in the participating states, the local markets do not lack basic tools for any of the start-up kit types used in this Pilot DDR Project. It is, however, difficult to find more complicated and/or expensive tools and materials. Since numerous complaints were received, it is suggested to involve the representatives of the excombatants in the start-up kit design process so that they can make their suggestions on the composition of the start-up kits. The main recommendations on the start-up kit composition are the following: Agriculture The Pilot start-up kit contained numerous basic tools (spades, hoes etc.) that are generally available to the ex-combatants to either buy from the local markets or to borrow from their neighbors. In addition, the ox-plough requires 2 bulls to operate, whereas the ex-combatants do not have access to any. It is suggested to revise the start-up kit composition to include fewer more substantial items, e.g. 1 bull and seeds. This will make the ex-combatants very attractive to the community members in terms of cooperative formation. Carpentry Although minor additional consultations may be needed, the start-up kit was of acceptable 8 Assessing the Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in the Context of Instability and Informal Economies Lessons from a randomized evaluation of a Landmine Action agricultural training program for ex-combatants DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 83

86 composition, but consideration should be given to creating a system of providing the excombatants with timber. Auto-mechanics Repair shops should be consulted to refine the start-up kit to be sufficient to perform most popular repair jobs for the motorcycles. Animals With proper animal husbandry training, the existing design of the start-up kit provides the ex-combatants with the potential of creating an animal farm with a large number of goats and chicken Training of Trainers As briefly covered in the Lessons Learned, there are several factors that contribute to a successful Training of Trainers program. In addition, it is essential that the experts conducting the Training of Trainers program have a chance to witness the result of their work in the field and possible introduce modifications to the program. The recommendations are as follows: Allow 3-4 weeks for design of the TOT curriculum and training manual; Allow 10 days in-country preparation time for the TOT expert in order to produce necessary training materials, equip the venue etc.; Arrange for all the TOT participants to stay at the same hotel, preferably also being the TOT venue, because transit time can be unpredictable; Conduct the Training of Trainers program for 2 weeks with half-day Saturdays and Sundays off; Allow 1 week immediately after the Training of Trainers for the TOT expert to accompany some of the teams to their respective states, witness the launch of the state-level training and provide recommendations on improvements to all the training teams. 9 Procurement of large numbers of animals/birds locally be it bulls, goats or chicken, bears high risk of inflating the prices for those on the state, regional or even national level. 84 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

87 8.2.1 Hiring of trainers While the system of hiring ICRS caseworkers as business/cooperative trainers proved itself effective, the TOT expert should be able to rate the TOT participants and recommend those that meet the requirements to become state-level trainers. For that, the number of TOT participants should be higher than the number of state-level trainer positions available. This needs to be done, because it is natural that some of the ICRS caseworkers may lack motivation for this type of task as it involves extensive human interaction and a lot of travel to the regions that some might consider uncomfortable. The TOT expert will be able to identify potentially best candidates and the rest, having benefited from the training, will go back to their original duties State managers Externally hired state managers provide additional depth to the training teams and should be kept in the DDR Program in order to maintain the system of mutual quality control between the NDDRC and the implementing partner. 8.3 State-level training The state-level training process involves numerous challenges described in the corresponding section of this report. Most of the challenges can be addressed by introducing minor modifications to the reporting and budgeting approach. The recommendations are as follows: The training should ideally finish a few weeks before the start of the cultivation period (May); The training materials should be as visual as possible to properly address the excombatants literacy and numeracy challenges; The goals of the DDR Program should be reiterated to the ex-combatants to avoid false expectations, rumors etc. as they can harm the overall project and create unnecessary antagonism; The trainers should have specific knowledge and be able to advise on exact steps one should take in order to formally register a cooperative and/or a land plot; Training venues should be agreed upon before the training teams arrive to avoid spending time to look for a place and to negotiate on the price (if any); Extensive reporting structure should be created for all the training team members. It should include minimal writing, but a substantial about of data and yes/no questions about the ex-combatants DDR experience. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 85

88 8.4 Logistics DDR Program logistics, just like its budget, needs to be both detailed and flexible. Components of the DDR Program may take months to implement and, during those months, various factors may come into play and affect the originally planned approach. The changes in the plan, even minor ones, usually reflect in the logistics of the Program and all sides should be prepared to quickly react to any challenges that may arise Start-up kit procurement Sufficient time should be invested in creating a detailed procurement plan for purchasing and delivering the start-up kits. Reliable partners in South Sudan and/or other countries need to be identified and contracted. Preference should be given to single source procurement with the supplier responsible for delivering the start-up kits to each state. In case that is not possible, a transportation company will need to be hired separately. The start-up kit supplier will need to be made responsible for properly packaging each start-up kit to minimize loading/unloading efforts. The start-up kits will need to be packaged individually and ready to be given to the ex-combatant without prior re-packaging, assembling etc., because additional manipulations with the start-up kits at the time of distribution may create significant delay as the DDR program scales up. The procurement and delivery process needs to be as simple as possible State-level training If the further DDR Program is designed to keep the current approach of using several central training locations in each state, the state-level training logistics will consist of (i) training teams travel and (ii) ex-combatants travel and food, both of which are very important for the overall Project success. Training teams travel The state-level training teams consist of (i) state managers, (ii) resident ICRS caseworkers, (iii) outof-state ICRS caseworkers, and (iv) agriculture extension workers. All of them have different financial arrangements for the state-level training process, which can potentially cause conflicts, especially so among the government employees, because the state managers in Phase II were under contract with the implementing partner and were specifically instructed not to discuss the financial side of their work with the colleagues. The recommendations for planning the training team logistics are the following: Avoid including UN flights as means of inter-state transportation because they are not guaranteed even at times when NDDRC is able to apply for them; 86 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

89 Collect the current price levels for all the participating states and set an adequate travel allowance/per diems for the government employees. The prices vary greatly from state to state and an amount sufficient for one state may not be enough for another state; Plan the training sessions in locations where the training teams can live in acceptable conditions for several days. Ex-combatants travel and food While many of the ex-combatants expectations from the DDR program may be considered unreasonable, some basic needs should be considered/addressed when mapping out the future DDR activities in South Sudan: One day should be allowed for the ex-combatants to arrive to the training location; Reasonable (fixed amount) transport reimbursement should be made part of the budget; 2 tea breaks and 1 lunch break on training days should be provided by the Project in order to make sure the ex-combatants stay in training and do not leave; Although unlikely to happen, consideration should be given to providing the excombatants with accommodation for the nights between the training days. 8.5 Additional Recommendations In addition to the modifications suggested for the existing components of the South Sudan DDR Program, several new provisions are recommended by the Consultant for introduction. They will create additional motivation for the ex-combatants to develop as small business owners and to fully reintegrate into their communities. The opportunities resulting from introducing the items listed below have the potential to not only bring the ex-combatants to the level with their fellow society members, but to create leaders, who will ultimately become major employers in their communities. Demonstration farms Demonstration farms have proved to be a very effective method of practical knowledge delivery in Africa. It is recommended to design and implement a program of establishing at least one demonstration farm in each participating state with an experienced (perhaps regional) farmer in charge of the whole program and local farmers responsible for each of the state-based farms. The demonstration farms can be owned collectively by the ex-combatants with the DDR Project responsible for operating it and ensuring that the farm brings adequate revenues. The basic farming equipment can be provided within the DDR Project framework and become property of the farm, which means collective property of the ex-combatants. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 87

90 While the details of the demonstration farm operations still need to be investigated and refined, such a sub-component will provide the ex-combatants with valuable hands-on experience in agricultural practices, while profits from the demonstration farming activities can be used for the excombatants benefits. Formal cooperatives According to the information collected during the Phase II of the Pilot DDR Project, the Government of South Sudan makes significant effort to assist the population in their self-development through various ministries, including the Ministry of Agriculture, which has the ability to (i) arrange temporary use of a tractor, (ii) provide barbwire fencing for the farms to protect them from animal, (iii) provide seeds either for free or at subsidized prices. These special arrangements, however, in many cases are only available to registered cooperatives, so that that government is certain that it helps a working group of people and this assistance can be formally accounted for. As stated in this report, most of the cooperatives formed under this Pilot DDR Project, although operating, are not properly registered. This happened because (i) the ex-combatants did not receive enough information on cooperative registration and (ii) the cost of registering a cooperative is quite high and sometimes is difficult to afford (~USD 206 per cooperative). It is therefore recommended to ensure cooperative registration fee coverage/reimbursement is included or that the fee is waived for ex-combatants in the further DDR activities in South Sudan. 88 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

91 Appendices Appendix 1: Phase 2 Workplan Work Schedule Key Person WHO Months May 2014 June 2014 July 2014 August 2014! " # $ % & ' ( )! *!!! "! #! $! %! &! '! (! ) " * "! " " " # " $ " % " & " ' " ( " ) # * #!! " # $ % & ' ( )! *!!! "! #! $! %! &! '! (! ) " * "! " " " # " $ " % " & " ' " ( " ) # *! " # $ % & ' ( )! *!!! "! #! $! %! &! '! (! ) " * "! " " " # " $ " % " & " ' " ( " ) # * #!! " # $ % & ' ( Rustam Davletkhanov (RD) - Project Director RD Sergey Burnaev (SB) - Project Manager SB Gautam Raj Jain (GJ) - BIZ/COOP Trainer GJ Beth Oliver (BO) - Agricultural Trainer BO Odego Angelous (OA) - Local Agricultural Counterpart OA State Managers SM Agricultural Extension workers AE ICRS caseworkers CW Management Information Expert MIE AGRICULTURAL TRAINING TOT Preparation BO/OA 10-day TOT BO/OA Field training for ex-combatants AE COOP TRAINING TOT Preparation GJ 10-day TOT GJ Field training for ex-combatants SM d Reports Project Implementation Plan SB R Weekly reports by COOP trainers SM R R R R R R R R Interim Report SB R R Draft SB R SB R DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 89

92 Appendix 2: Lessons Learned Project Stage Challenge Possible solution Insufficient preparation time Given the time constraint, the international training experts only had 10 days (entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy) and 3 days (agriculture) to prepare the Training of Trainers, which included material modification, print/training material production, stationery purchase, instructing assistants etc. For the future similar DDR activities to allow the international expert at least 1 full week in the country for the training material preparation.. To provide the international expert with full-time local assistance during that time. TOT Preparation Differences in accommodation While out-of-juba participants all stayed at the same hotel, which provided the training facility, many people had to travel on a daily basis, which can be a challenge in South Sudan, especially during the rainy season. Consider including the state managers accommodations in the same hotel with other TOT participants for the training days. Venue location While the hotel used for accommodation and training provided excellent service, it s location was difficult to reach on the days it rained. If the training happens during the rainy season arrange with a training venue that is located along a tarmac road. Wi-Fi No Wi-FI internet connection in the training room. Inconvenient, as sometimes internet is needed to search for TOT-related information. Give preference to the venues providing internet connection in the training room. TOT Preparation Accommodation type Consider Full Board arrangement. 90 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

93 Project Stage Challenge Possible solution Despite catered lunch, tea breaks and allowances, the participants expectation is to have breakfast included in their accommodation. Per diems Paying per diems to cover meals as people tend to not buy food and save the money. TOT materials Purchasing the materials in a hurry resulted in buys unnecessary things. Discuss the training materials need with the international expert in advance and budget accordingly. Catering and accommodation charges The training facility charged for the no-shows because they planned for pre-arranged number of participants for both bedding and catering. Plan the number of participants more precisely. Entrepreneurship, cooperatives & financial literacy TOT UNIMSS flights Relying on UNMISS flights to bring the participants from their base states to Juba is questionable, as the seats are not guaranteed until the plane takes off. Advance payment At least a 50% advance payment should be considered for all operations in South Sudan. No-prepayment options are subject to difficult negotiations. Insufficient preparation time Training preparation had a very little time, which was less than 10 days after the Consider budget allocation for commercial flights. The implementing partner needs to make sure to have enough hard currency in the country in order to pay the bills. A total of 5 weeks should be allowed for the training preparation including training manual: four weeks for the training manual preparation DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 91

94 Project Stage Challenge Possible solution Consultant arrived in Juba. It was almost impossible to prepare a well-designed and wellformatted training manual. There was hardly any time to revise the training modules and edit them before sending it for printing. Insufficient TOT duration Given the number of modules and learners experience, the training duration was insufficient. 10 days was hardly enough for building the capacity of trainers in delivering the 13 modules. and one week for the production of training manual and other training materials. At least 15 days training duration is needed to do the training and cover all the modules to ensure that participants practice all the key sessions through demonstration Knowledge base The trainees consisted of a very heterogeneous group in terms of their knowledge base. It is important to have selection process for trainees and selection should not be automatic. Only those who have potentials to be trainers should be recruited. The trainer should be allowed to be a part of trainees selection. Motivation The trainees were requested to attend the TOT as group and there was no selection process, no competition. Many of them treated the TOT as if it was their usual going to work routine. Some did not have the mind-set to prove themselves further for the newer challenges as compared with the first set of trainers in Phase I It is important to have selection process for trainees and selection should not be automatic. Only those who have potentials to be trainers should be recruited. The trainer should be allowed to be a part of trainees selection. 92 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

95 Project Stage Challenge Possible solution State Managers State Managers selection was done without the TOT trainer s involvement. There were two state managers who did not have any prior training experience. The participation of these two state managers during the training was limited. UNMISS flights Four participants did not arrive because they did not make it on the UNMISS flights. The prioritization system of the UNMISS flight make it possible for a person not to het on a flight even though all the paperwork has been submitted properly and on time State Managers should have been selected through a formal selection process and giving this opportunities to all other trainers prove that they could be better state managers as well as trainers. Consider budget allocation for commercial flights. Agricultural TOT Regional Languages Juba Arabic and Dinka are not the only languages spoken in some regions. This was not a challenge in terms of TOT success, but needs to be taken into account when the DDR program is extended to other part of the country Numeracy/Literacy The extension workers literacy and numeracy level is fairly low. This is especially true for numeracy, as adding and multiplication become a real challenge when it comes to agricultural terms like area, resources etc. More than just a couple of hours needs to be allocated to concentrate on literacy and numeracy in the future DDR activities. Training materials should be as visible as possible. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 93

96 Project Stage Challenge Possible solution Agronomy Despite expectation, the extension workers agronomy knowledge among the participant group is inconsistent. While some people showed adequate knowledge of agronomy, others needed explanations for issues that are considered very basic in agriculture Following as assessment, a sizeable agronomy module may be needed in the agricultural Training of Trainers. Insufficient preparation time Training preparation had a very little time, which was less than 5 days after the Consultant arrived in Juba. It was almost impossible to prepare a well-designed and wellformatted training manual. There was hardly any time to revise the training modules and edit them before sending it for printing. A total of 5 weeks should be allowed for the training preparation including training manual: four weeks for the training manual preparation and one week for the production of training manual and other training materials. Agricultural TOT Insufficient TOT duration Given the number of modules and learners experience, the training duration was insufficient. 6-7 days was hardly enough for building the capacity of trainers in delivering the 11 modules. At least 10 days training duration is needed to do the training and cover all the modules to ensure that participants practice all the key sessions through demonstration 94 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

97 Project Stage Challenge Possible solution Timing of training State-level training coincided with rainy season, which means population massively cultivating and roads in bad condition. Designing further DDR activities during the dry season (November-April), so that the excombatants can enter the rainy season with agricultural knowledge acquired. Literacy/Numeracy Most ex-combatant are illiterate and lack basic knowledge of numbers/calculation. The training curricula/manuals should include enough materials on basic literacy/numeracy and ways of presenting them to the excombatants visually. State-level training Expectations - Salaries; - Money for attending the training; - Accommodation during training; - Additional tool during training. There should be more work performed by the trainers and the NDDRC at the very beginning of the future DDR activities, clearly outlining the goals of the Project and listing specifically how the ex-combatants are going to benefit from this program. They should know what tangible and intangible outcomes to expect. Mentality Inability to realize the need of reinvestment and basic financial planning. The current curriculum has all the necessary information on the need of reinvestment, financial planning and price structure. This information needs to be delivered to the ex-combatants in a more straightforward way. DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 95

98 Project Stage Challenge Possible solution Information access Lack of access to information on existing government programs assisting the population through various ministries. 1-2 NDDRC staff should be tasked with creating a database of existing opportunities. This database will need to be regularly updated to reflect any changes. High Mobility The ex-combatants often move either within their state or from one state to another. There should be a system created for updating the ex-combatatns current location. A new version of the database should ne circulated every 3 months. State-level training Cooperative/land registration Registration procedures involve official registration fees and it is in most cases the cost is unbearable for the ex-combatants. For the future DDR activities, consideration should be given to arranging the land registration and cooperative registration payments. Training venues Arranging training venues in the statewide locations can be time consuming, which is not the best way of utilizing the training teams time. Attempts should be made to arrange the training locations and training venue via local NDDRC offices and state governments before the activities start. Start-up kit composition Numerous complaints received on start-up kits being not very useful on various parameters. The start-up kit composition should be revised in accordance with recommendations presented in this report and using advice of excombatant representatives, ministries, training facilities etc. 96 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support

99 Appendix 3: TOT Feedback Forms DDR Pilot Reintegration Project in South Sudan 97

100 98 SECTION I: UNICON - Livelihoods Support